Developing drugs

• What are drugs tested on in preclinical testing?

  Human cells and tissues in the lab.
• You can’t use human cells and tissues to test drugs that affect whole or multiple body systems or organisms.
• What is the 2nd step in preclinical ?

  Test the drug on live animals. To test for efficacy, to find out about toxicity, and dosage.
• What is efficacy?

  Whether the drug works and produces the effect you’re looking for).
• What does the law state?

  Any new drug must be tested on two different live mammals.
• Some people think it’s cruel to test on animals , others think this is the safest way to make sure a drug isn’t dangerous before given to humans
• If drug passes the tests on animals then it’s tested on human volunteers in a clinical trial.
• First, the drug is tested on healthy volunteers, to make sure it doesn’t have any harmful side effects when the body is working properly.
• At the start of the trial a very low dose is given and this is gradually increased.