24 Jan Pharma Research Helps to Eliminate Diseases

Before we explore what pharma research entails, let us get a brief understanding of the pharmaceutical industry. So, what are the activities of the pharma industry? The pharmaceutical industry is responsible for the development, production and marketing of drugs which are licensed for use as medications. Pharmaceutical companies are subject to a number of laws and regulations with regard to the patenting, testing and marketing of drugs.

What is pharmaceutical research?

Prior to releasing a new drug into the market, a lot of research and development activities are carried out at a research center. These activities are generally referred to as pharmaceutical research.

Pharmaceutical research mainly comprises of

Drug Discovery: This is the process in which potential drugs are discovered or designed. In the old days, drug discovery happened by isolating the active ingredient from traditional remedies or by good old-fashion accidental discovery. However, current biotechnology involves understanding the metabolic pathways related to a disease state or pathogen. This is followed by manipulating these pathways using molecular biology.

Today a lot of early-stage drug discovery is carried out by universities and research institutions.

Drug Development: This refers to activities that are carried out following the identification of a compound as a potential drug in order to establish its suitability as a medication. The objectives of drug development include determining the appropriate formulation as well as dosage. Also checking out the safety of the drug is a critical function. The research activities conducted at this stage include a combination of in vitro studies, in vivo studies, and clinical trials.