Sources of drugs
Natural compounds extracted from plants have often provided novel structures for therapeutic applications. For example, vincristine is derived from the periwinkle plant Vinca rosea, etoposide is from the mandrake plant
sources of drugs
Drug promotion and marketing
Drugs are not ordinary consumers’ products. In most instances, consumers are not in a position to make decisions about when to use drugs, which drugs to use
Sources of Drugs : Natural and modern sources
Today, natural sources are still important, but the majority of lead compounds are synthesized in the laboratory
Drug discovery cycle
Drugs find their way into therapeutics mainly by one of the following routes: serendipity, random screening, extraction of active principles from natural sources,
Drug resistance: Why do we need new drugs?
The over-usage of the same drugs, such as antibiotics, can result in the development of resistance to that drug by both the patients, microorganisms and virus the drug is intended to control.
Classification of Drugs
Classification following the third criterion, therapeutic use, is very similar to the pharmacological classification and in many cases, identical with it. Thus, drugs are divided into the following classes: