Discovery & Development of Drugs Flashcards

All 6 cards in this deck

Which plant does the heart drug digitalis originate from?

Foxgloves.

Which plant does the painkiller aspirin originate from?

Willow (willow bark).

Who discovered penicillin, and what was it obtained from?

Alexander Fleming, from the Penicillium mould.

What three things are new drugs extensively tested for?

Toxicity, efficacy and dose.

True or false? Claims about a new drug are more likely to be valid once they have been peer reviewed.

True. Peer review by other scientists checks the work before publication and helps detect false claims.

True or false? Preclinical testing of a new drug is carried out on healthy volunteers.

False. Preclinical testing is done in a laboratory using cells, tissues and live animals; healthy volunteers are used later, in clinical trials.