Communicable Disease - Drug Development
Where did we orgininally get drugs from and give 3 examples?
We originally extracted drugs from plants and microorganisms
-Aspirin (painkiller) from willow tree bark
-Digitalis (heart medicine) from foxglove plant
-Penicillin (antibiotic) from penicillium mould (discovered by Alexander Fleming)
What are new synthetic drugs tested for?
-Toxicity (side effects)
-Efficacy (does it work)
-Dosage (how much is needed)
What are the 3 stages of drug trials and what are they for?
-Pre clinical:
-Testing on cells, tissues, and animals for toxicity + efficacy
-Clinical phase 1:
-Test on healthy volunteers
-Low doses to check for side effects
-Clinical phase 2:
-Patients
-Efficacy and dosage
What are blind clinical trials?
-Use a placebo as a comparison to show the real drug is working
-Only the patients do not know if they are getting the real drug or the placebo
What are double-blind clinical trials?
Neither the patients or the doctors know who is getting the placebo or the real drug
What is the importance of double-blind trials?
-Reduces potential bias from the doctors
-Reduces psychological effects e.g. the placebo effect
-Can show the real drig is having an effect when conpared to placebo