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GCSE Biology · key term
The work needed to turn a promising substance into a medicine suitable for thorough testing and possible use in patients.
Used by Edexcel
Specification 5.20 · Paper 1
Revise: Developing New MedicinesScientists must find a promising substance, develop it into a possible treatment, and then collect evidence that it is sufficiently safe and effective at a suitable dose. This involves a sequence of discovery, development, preclinical testing and clinical testing. Antibiotics pass through this overall process just as other new medicines do.
When asked to describe the process, give the stages in order: discovery → development → preclinical testing → clinical testing.
Remember that antibiotics are medicines for bacterial infections; drug development also applies to many other types of medicine.
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