DRUG DESIGN

1) you have seen that a new drug can cost upwards of $1 billion dollars and take more than a decade to come to market. Yet, there is a need for quick, low-cost drugs for millions of Americans each year. If you were given $490 million in start-up capital, how would you spend it–particularly in the first year? What disease/condition(s) would you target? Where would you look for a lead compound? What technologies would you purchase? In a paragraph or two, describe your initial attempts at drug design. 2) As you have seen, human clinical trials on all drugs are required under the Kefauver-Harris Drug Amendment of 1962. For ethical reasons we generally do not test new drugs on children, pregnant women, and the mentally ill. Instead these patients are given “reasonable” doses with close monitoring at first. In a paragraph or two, describe your thoughts on omitting certain populations from clinical trials. Are we doing the right thing? Should they be tested regardless? 3) Society readily agrees that physical pain is a valid reason to take over-the-counter or prescription drugs. Products which alleviate physical pain, like opioids, have been around for centuries and are widely accepted. Products which alleviate emotional pain, however, are not as widely studied. You do not have to share your personal opinion on happiness drugs, but I would like you to discuss in a few sentences the advantages and disadvantages to a society with no sadness, misery, or sorrow. Is “permanent happiness” is a worthwhile goal for society? Should we be investing in or legalizing drugs that will alleviate emotional pain? What are issues to consider when targeting different types of pain in society?