The Science and Business of Drug Discovery

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 twenty 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