Discovery and development of drugs
1. Traditionally drugs were extracted from plants and microorganisms
2. Most new drugs are synthesised by chemists in the pharmaceutical industry, but the starting point may still be a chemical extracted from a plant
3. New medical drugs have to be tested and trialled before being used to check that they are safe and effective
4. Preclinical testing is done in a laboratory using cells, tissues and live animals
5. Clinical trials use healthy volunteers and patients, starting with very low doses and increasing if the drug is found to be safe