Modern Treatments

• What has the Pharmaceutical Industry achieved recently?

  It has really taken off.
• Why did new treatments like antibiotics need to be mass-produced?

  To make them available to lots of people.
• Which countries were best placed to mass-produce new drugs in the late 19th and 20th centuries?

  Britain, Germany, Switzerland, and the United States.
• What role did the success of mass-produced drugs in the 1940s play in the pharmaceutical industry?

  It helped the modern pharmaceutical industry take off.
• What are the two main roles of pharmaceutical companies?

  Researching and developing new medicines, mass producing drugs.
• How have pharmaceutical companies contributed to healthcare?

  They help cure new diseases and research treatments.
• What is chemotherapy?

  It is the treatment of cancer using drugs.
• When did the development of chemotherapy begin?

  During World War II.
• What chemical was found to reduce cancer tumors during World War II?

  Nitrogen mustard from mustard gas.
• What other drug was discovered that blocks the growth of cancer cells?

  A compound in folic acid.
• Since when have pharmaceutical companies been producing cancer drugs?

  Since the 1960s.
• Antibiotic resistance makes drugs less effective

  . Antibiotic resistance is when a type of bacteria adapts so it isn't affected by antibiotics anymore. This resistance develops when doctors and patients overuse antibiotics - the more antibiotics are used, the more likely it is that the bacteria will become resistant to them

  . Antibiotic resistance stops antibiotics from working properly, making it more difficult to treat some diseases. This has increased the levels of disease and the time taken for patients to recover
• Why do some people use alternative treatments?

  Mistrust of modern medicine and technology
• What is acupuncture?

  Inserting needles in specific skin points
• What does homeopathy use for treatment?

  Extremely weak solutions of natural substances
• How do alternative therapies differ from mainstream treatments?

  They aren't based on scientific research evidence
• What is a concern some doctors have about alternative treatments?

  They might do more harm than good
• What are some doctors currently exploring regarding alternative therapies?

  Mixing alternative and mainstream medicine
• What are the key characteristics of alternative therapies?

  • Not based on scientific research evidence
  • Lack of scientific evidence for effectiveness
  • Potential risks of doing more harm than good