Testing Medicines

• What was foxglove and what was it used for?

  in the past they used foxglove for medicine and was used to extract the heart drug digitals
• Where was the aspirin extracted from in the past ?


  from willow trees
• Who was Alexander Fleming and what did he do ?

  he was a scientist who discovered penicillin
• What is the first step in making medicine ?

  checking the toxicity of the drug (if its safe for humans )
• What's the second step in making medicine ?

  check if the drug is efficacy (if it treats the disease)
• What is the third step in making medicine ?

  working out the best dose of the drug
• What is preclinical testing ?

  testing the drug on cells,tissues and on live animals (not on humans because it could be extremely toxic)
• What is clinical testing ?

  giving low doses of the drug to healthy volunteer (to check if its safe for humans) then testing is continued to find the right amount of dose with the least amount of side-effects
• What is a placebo?

  a tablet or injection with no-active drug in it
• Why are some people given placebo ?

  they think that they are being treated so they believe that they are getting better
• What is a double-blind test ?

  when a doctor is giving a patient a an active drug but neither know what is given