The Science and Business of Drug Discovery is written for those who
want to learn about the biopharmaceutical industry and its products
whatever their level of technical knowledge. Its aim is to demystify the
jargon used in drug development, but in a way that avoids over
simplification and the resulting loss of key information. Each of the
nineteen chapters is illustrated with figures and tables which clarify
some of the more technical points being made. Also included is a drug
discovery case history which draws the relevant material together into a
single chapter. In recognizing that it is difficult to navigate through
the many external resources dealing with drug development, the book has
been written to guide the reader towards the most appropriate
information sources, including those listed in the two appendices.
The following topics are covered:
- Different types of drugs: from small molecules to stem cells
- Background to chemistry of small and large molecules
- Historical background to drug discovery, pharmacology and
biotechnology
- The drug discovery pipeline: from target discovery to marketed
medicine
- Commercial aspects of drug discovery
- Challenges to the biopharmaceutical industry and its responses
- Material of specific interest to technology transfer executives,
recruiters and pharmaceutical translators.