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Drugs: Discovery to Delivery

This course will address how medications are discovered, developed and dispensed.  Drug discovery will be viewed historically and contrasted with means used currently and future prospects. How will the current practice of deforestation affect future discoveries? What could happen as genomics and other receptor sciences mature? Does this mean we can tailor drugs or methods of administration to specific patients?

New drugs are particularly expensive as the investment in research and development exceeds $1B per drug approval. Could the US Food and Drug Administration streamline develop processes without compromising safety? Can the making these newer compounds become available to those of lower economic means? Further, all approved medicinals must go through preclinical (animal) testing which is controversial. Finally, many clinical studies are done on humans with ‘informed consent,’ but is it possible to truly have informed consent?  Finally, many ‘outdated’ drugs are sent to third world countries, which brings the issue, ‘if drugs are not fit for consumption in the US why are they suddenly fit for consumption in the third world’?

Finally, is there a way that improves patient compliance that may improve patient compliance. What about the differing medicare plans?  How do we feel about different pharmacies?