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Antibiotics and developing new medicines
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Antibiotics transformed medicine, but new drugs take years of careful testing before anyone can use them.
Antibiotics
Antibiotics kill bacteria or stop them growing. They do not work on viruses.
Overuse helps antibiotic-resistant bacteria spread.
Overuse helps antibiotic-resistant bacteria spread.
Drug development stages
1. Discovery: finding a promising substance.
2. Preclinical testing: on cells, tissues and animals, to check toxicity and effect.
3. Clinical trials: first on a small number of healthy volunteers (low doses), then on patients to find the best dose.
4. Approval and use.
2. Preclinical testing: on cells, tissues and animals, to check toxicity and effect.
3. Clinical trials: first on a small number of healthy volunteers (low doses), then on patients to find the best dose.
4. Approval and use.
Fair trials
Double-blind trials: neither the patients nor the doctors know who gets the real drug, which avoids bias.
A placebo is a dummy treatment with no drug, used for comparison.
A placebo is a dummy treatment with no drug, used for comparison.
Why are new drugs first tested on healthy volunteers at very low doses?
- To check the drug is safe and find side effects.
- Low doses reduce the risk of harm.
Answer: To check safety.
Antibiotics kill bacteria, not viruses. Drugs go through discovery, preclinical tests on cells and animals, then clinical trials. Double-blind trials with placebos avoid bias.
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