10th Sep '25

Drug Development

A drug is a chemical that changes processes in people's bodies. Drugs can be beneficial but may the body.

Scientists are new drugs all the time. Many drugs are derived from substances have been known to peoples for many years. Scientists seek to identify the key chemical in the substances and then synthesis it into a drug that they can sell.

When new medical drugs are devised, they have to be extensively tested and before being used. This is done through a multistage process:

New drugs are tested in the to find out if they are toxic and to find out whether they work.

These tests often involve the use of . If a drug passes these tests, it is then tested on in clinical trials.

Very doses of the drug are given to volunteers at the start of the trial. If the drug is found to be , further clinical trials are carried out to find the dose for the drug.

During drug trials, some patients are given a which does not contain the drug. Neither the doctors nor the patients know who has received a and who has received the drug until the trial is complete. This is known as a 'double blind trial'.

Blind trials are important because even fake medicine makes you feel better. This is known as the ' effect'

Medicines must work better than a to be worth using.