What is the difference between drug discovery and drug development?
Drug discovery and drug development are two connected but different stages in bringing a new medicine to patients. Drug discovery is the early part of the drug discovery and development process, where scientists search for potential medicines by studying diseases, biological targets, chemical compounds, and their effects. Researchers identify promising molecules, screen them, and carry out laboratory studies to understand how they may work against a particular disease. The main goal of drug discovery is to find a suitable drug candidate that has the potential to provide a useful therapeutic effect.
Drug development starts after a promising candidate has been identified. It involves a much broader and more detailed process to determine whether the candidate can be developed into a safe, effective, and reliable medicine. This can include preclinical studies, formulation development, analytical testing, stability studies, safety assessment, and clinical trials in humans. During the clinical development of drug candidates, different clinical trial phases are used to evaluate safety, tolerability, dosage, effectiveness, and potential side effects. The results generated during these phases of drug development are important for regulatory review and approval.
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