In the fields of medicine, biotechnology and pharmacology, drug discovery is the process by which new candidate medications are discovered. Historically, drugs were discovered by identifying the active ingredient from traditional remedies or by serendipitous discovery, as with penicillin.The first synthetic drug, chloral hydrate, was discovered in 1869 and introduced as a sedative-hypnotic; it is still available today in some countries.
The Drug Development Process. Research for a new drug begins in the laboratory. Drugs undergo laboratory and animal testing to answer basic questions about safety. Drugs are tested on people to make sure they are safe and effective.The Drugs.com website is owned and operated by the Drugsite Trust. The Drugsite Trust is a privately held Trust administered by two New Zealand pharmacists, Karen Ann and Phillip James Thornton.
Phase 4 trials are conducted to determine long-term safety and effectiveness and to identify adverse effects that may not have been apparent in prior trials. Phase 4 trials usually include thousands of participants.
BEGINNINGS OF MODERN DRUG ABUSE RESEARCH
Excluding distilled spirits, the first addictive ingredient isolated from a natural product was morphine, which was extracted from crude opium by F.W.A. Serturner, a German pharmacist, in 1806.
Discovery. Product Characterization. Formulation, Delivery, Packaging Development. Pharmacokinetics And Drug Disposition. Preclinical Toxicology Testing And IND Application. Bioanalytical Testing. Clinical Trials.