drugs
Drug Effectiveness and Safety
Introduction
The main goals of Drug Design and Development are demonstrating the effectiveness and safety of the drug. Because all The most useful drugs are effective and, for the most part, safe. Penicillin is such a drug. Except for people who are allergic to it, penicillin is virtually nontoxic, even in large doses. On the other hand, barbiturates, which were once commonly used as sleep aids, can interfere with breathing, dangerously lower blood pressure, and even cause death if taken in excess. Newer sleep aids such astemazepamandzolpidemhave a wider margin of safety than barbiturates do. Designing effective drugs with a wide margin of safety and few side effects cannot always be achieved. Consequently, some drugs must be used even though they have a very narrow margin of safety. For example,warfarin, one of the drugs that is taken to prevent blood clotting, can cause bleeding, but it is used when the need is so great that the risk must be tolerated. People who takewarfarinneed frequent checkups to see whether the drug is causing the blood to clot too much, too little, or appropriately. Clozapineis another example. This drug often helps people with schizophrenia when all other drugs have proved ineffective. Butclozapinehas a serious side effect: It can decrease the production of white blood cells, which are needed to protect against infection. Because of this risk, people who takeclozapinemust have their blood tested frequently as long as they take the drug. To help ensure that their treatment plan is as safe and effective as possible, people should keep their health care practitioners well informed about their medical history, drugs (including over-the-counter drugs) and Overview of Dietary Supplements (including medicinal herbs) that they are currently taking, and any other relevant health information. In addition, they should not hesitate to ask a doctor, nurse, or pharmacist to explain the goals of treatment, the types of side effects and other problems that may develop, and the extent to which they can participate in the treatment plan. 