Natural Products and First Synthetic Drugs

Until the 19th century began, the only drugs available in pharmacopoeias and used in
medical therapeutics came from nature: from plant extracts or from more or less pure
substances obtained from these extracts. The quinine, which was useful to mitigate the
damage of malaria, is the most significant example of this. Interestingly, the first
synthetic drugs were used as anaesthetics or sedatives by inhalation (nitrous oxide,
diethyl ether, chloroform, etc.), and they resulted in a decisive advance in the
development of surgery. Nevertheless, this also resulted in a high incidence of post-
surgical deaths due to microbial contamination.
Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) is probably the most representative example of synthetic
drug having the known action of a natural product as a pharmacological guideline.
Indeed, since Roman times, the infusions of Salix alba bark (white willow) were used as
analgesic. These infusions contain salicylic acid (in fact, it is known that it is obtained
from the hydrolysis and from the oxidation of the glucoside salicin). In full golden age
of aromatic chemistry, obtaining industrially salicylic acid was relatively easy through
the Kolbe reaction (heating of phenoxide with carbon dioxide). The acetylation of
phenolic O-H to avoid gastrointestinal side effects which caused the high acidity of the
salicylic acid led to aspirin. This simple sequence of synthetic steps discovered by
Hoffmann and operated by the German company Bayer has been one of the most
successful enterprising in the pharmaceutical industry for the production and sales
volume for over a hundred years, and for the pharmacological action of aspirin, since,
besides its analgesic effect, it is a good antiplatelet drug.
 Jessica Castillo Silvera INVOICE
Grupo Cooperación Bloque 3 esc. 7 1º 3º
12004 Castellón de la Plana
Spain
Telephone 640136177 INVOICE No: 27
73327363-J INVOICE DATE: 04/02/201

INVOICE TO:
Capita Translation, Ltd.
Company number: 08269472
Riverside Court, Huddersfield Road
Delph, Oldham, Greater Manchester, OL3 5FZ
United Kingdom

WORD
DESCRIPTION LANGUAJE PAIR RATE (£) COST (£)
COUNT
Productes naturals i primers fàrmacs
CAT> EN 281 0,09 25.29
sintètics
TAX BASE 25.29
21 5.31
+VAT(%)
-IRPF(%)
7 1.77

TOTAL (£) 28.83

METHOD OF PAYMENT
Payment order in BANCO LA CAIXA
IBAN: ES70 4623 3634 93 3928473987
BIC (SWITF CODE): CAIXESCS579
Total amount to pay on 30 days.