When a candidate drug molecule is first identified and synthesized, it will take well over a decade of pre-clinical and clinical testing and formulation work before it can be launched onto the market. This book outlines the process involved in taking a compound from discovery to market release, starting with some of the recent advances that have accelerated the process of identifying suitable lead compounds, including high throughput screening, computer-based pharmacophore mapping and QSAR (quantitative structure activity relationship) analysis.
Other subjects discussed in the book include a historical overview of the pharmaceutical industry and of modern drug development, starting with the isolation of morphine in the early part of the 19th century. The book will also describe the components of good manufacturing practice and its importance in maximizing drug safety and preventing adverse events. Other chapters will focus on methods for analysing herbal drugs; chiral separation techniques such as capillary electrophoresis; and best practice for the safe manufacture and handling of biological products such as vaccines, toxins and blood components.
This book is an ideal introduction to the subject of drug discovery, design and manufacture for students studying chemistry and pharmacology, and will also provide some useful insights to those who are actually working in these fields.
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