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Medicine chest |
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Drug development is a long, expensive and tightly regulated process. But increased understanding of human genetics is already leading to new treatments.
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Background
UK medicines legislation
 All medicines and medical devices must receive a licence (or conditional exemption) from the Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency before they can be released onto the market. 14/03/03
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Background
Drug development
 Producing a new drug is an expensive and time-consuming process that is subject to extensive regulation. 27/08/02
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Features
Captopril
An ACE inhibitor that widens blood vessels and helps to relieve high blood pressure. 22/09/04
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Features
Viagra
Small-molecule drug used to treat male erectile dysfunction. 22/09/04
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Features
Angiozyme
An RNA molecule that can inhibit the growth of new blood vessels around tumours. 19/04/04
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Features
Gleevec (imatinib)
Small-molecule drug used to treat chronic myeloid leukaemia. 19/04/04
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Features
Herceptin (trastuzumab)
A therapeutic antibody used to treat advanced breast cancer. 04/02/04
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Background
What is a medicine?
The boundaries between medicines and other products are becoming increasingly blurred, presenting new challenges to regulators. 14/03/03
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Background
National Institute for Biological Standards Control
An independent research institute responsible for standardising and controlling biological substances used in medicine in the UK. 14/03/03
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Technology centre
Combinatorial library screening
Large collections of chemical compounds that are screened to identify potential new drugs. 08/01/03
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Background
Rational drug design
Using structural information about drug targets or their natural ligands as a basis for the design of effective drugs. 27/08/02
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