The process of drug development from the laboratory bench to the market

This article has aimed to highlight that medicines do not just happen and that, at best, it takes many years (approximately 10-12) to introduce a new drug to the market. Such is the high attrition rate of developing new drugs that it is inevitable that most projects are terminated before marketing and even at advanced stages of clinical studies. For example, for every 10,000 structures synthesised, 500 will reach animal testing, 10 will reach phase I clinical trials and only one will get to market, usually at a cost of approximately £444m. However, by continuing to draw on the knowledge and expertise of pharmaceutical scientists, as well as applying both new and established methods to drug development, we will undoubtedly continue to improve our chances of developing new drugs for the future.