Drug discovery is a long, difficult, expensive and high-risk undertaking. It begins with basic research, which expands the fundamental understanding of disease pathways and identifies and characterizes new drug candidates. The next step is developmental research, where researchers test the safety and efficacy of a new drug candidate and determine its metabolism and interaction with the body and with other drugs. Only a fraction of drug candidates proceed beyond basic research and preclinical development to clinical trials - a process that takes many years.
Of 10,000 compounds in basic research, on average only five will enter clinical testing and just one will make it to the market.
(Source: PhRMA, March 2005)
It costs about $800 million over 12 years to bring one medicine from discovery in a laboratory to the patient. For everyone one medicine that reaches the marketable stage, between 4,000-10,000 compounds must be screened. The research-based pharmaceutical industry assumes the high risk of drug development failure and is responsible for the development of more than 90 percent of new medicines produced worldwide. Profitability and a strong financial base are essential to investment and to the allocation of resources necessary to develop and produce future medicines that can make sustained improvements in health care.
To learn more about the drug development process at Merck, click on the links below:
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