The Drug Development Process

p>Introducing new drugs or medical devices to thepre-clinical research, lasting for one to three years,
market can take up to twenty years and can costwhere new chemical entities or clinical devices are
almost £2 billion to administer. A large numberinitially tested on animals. If these various tests prove
of aspects contribute to the conduct of research,to be effective and safe, the clinical testing in
product development and the actual clinical trials,humans begins, this is known as the early phase
which not only includes the clients' staff but alsoclinical trial.
includes physicians, academic research specialists,Once the chemical entity has been tested and
clinical staff as well as patients or medical volunteers.pending the results attained through the process of
The flow of data between the researchers and theclinical data management, Biotechnology and
sponsors should be maintained by the informationPharmaceutical companies can further advance the
system managers and this is monitored by thenew drug or medical devise into new medicines.
relevant regulatory authorities. Before theWithout the use of pharmacology companies or
commencement of a drug development program,clinical research organisations, Biotechnology giants
experts in health economics and other medical relatedwould not be able to gain the data through
fields will make a true analysis of the market that theoutsourcing but would have to implement clinical trial
new drug or medical device will be entering in.testing procedures which, as you have read above,
This long-lasting, costly and complicated process iscan be an extremely costly operation.
split into several stages. The first stage is known as