Teacher and Technician Information

Print slides 6, 10 and 14 as necessary.

Teacher and Technician Information
Specification Points – 4.3.1.9 Discovery and development of drugs

Students should be able to describe the process of discovery and development of potential new medicines,
including preclinical and clinical testing.
Traditionally drugs were extracted from plants and microorganisms.
• The heart drug digitalis originates from foxgloves.
• The painkiller aspirin originates from willow.
• Penicillin was discovered by Alexander Fleming from the Penicillium mould.
Most new drugs are synthesised by chemists in the pharmaceutical industry. However, the starting point may still
be a chemical extracted from a plant.

New medical drugs have to be tested and trialled before being used to check that they are safe and effective.
New drugs are extensively tested for toxicity, efficacy and dose. Preclinical testing is done in a laboratory using
cells, tissues and live animals. Clinical trials use healthy volunteers and patients.
• Very low doses of the drug are given at the start of the clinical trial.
• If the drug is found to be safe, further clinical trials are carried out to
find the optimum dose for the drug.
• In double blind trials, some patients are given a placebo.
Developing Drugs
Developing Drugs 03/04/23

Describe where drugs first came from

Give examples of the origins of three well

known drugs

Explain the importance of maintaining

biodiversity for the possibility of future
medicines
Creating New Medicines

Creating a new medicine is a long and rigorous process,

and it can take up to 15 years to progress from a
promising idea in the research laboratory to a medicine
receiving approval from regulators.

Scientists might investigate 5,000 or more different

chemicals to identify just one that can be tested in
humans.
Creating New Medicines

Traditionally, drugs were extracted from plants and

micro-organisms
Dock leaf!

Nettle
sting?
The First Medicines

The Chinese drank tea from sweet

wormwood leaves to cure chills and
fevers

Egyptians used a herb from a plant

called Khella to help pass kidney
stones

All around the world, leeches were

placed on sores to stop blood from
clotting.
You do not need to learn these examples!
Traditional Medicines

The heart drug, digitalis is based

on a chemical extracted from
foxgloves.
Digitalis is an example of a cardio-active or cardiotonic drug, in other words a steroid which has the ability to
exert a specific and powerful action on the cardiac muscle in animals, and has been used in the treatment of
heart conditions ever since its discovery in 1775.

The discovery of digitalis is accredited to the Scottish doctor William Withering, and makes for quite an interesting historical
story. While working as a physician in Staffordshire in the 18th Century, his girlfriend got him interested in plants and botany - so
much so, that in 1776 he published a huge treatise, whose title begins 'A botanical arrangement of all the vegetables growing in
Great Britain,...' and goes on for a further 24 lines! By the age of 46 he'd become the richest doctor outside of London, and
bought Edgbaston Hall in Birmingham, which is now Edgbaston Golf Club. Another of his claims to fame is that he owned the
first water closet in Birmingham!

In 1775, one of his patients came to him with a very bad heart condition and since Withering had no effective treatment for
him, thought he was going to die. The patient, being an independent type, went instead to a local gypsy, took a secret herbal
remedy - and promptly got much better!

When Withering heard about this, he became quite excited and searched for the gypsy throughout the by-ways of Shropshire.
Eventually he found her, and demanded to know what was in the secret remedy. After much bargaining, the gypsy finally told
her secret. The herbal remedy was made from a whole concoction of things, but the active ingredient was the purple foxglove,
digitalis purpurea. The potency of digitalis extract had been known since the dark ages, when it had been used as a poison for
the mediaeval 'trial by ordeal', and also used as an external application to promote the healing of wounds. There are also
reports of digitalis extract finding some use in the treatment of dropsy.
Traditional Medicines

The painkiller, aspirin originates from

Willow bark.
Traditional Medicines

Penicillin
was discovered to be
released from the
Penicillium mould by
Alexander Flemming.

Why is this
written in italics?
New Drugs

Most new drugs are

synthesized by Chemists
in the pharmaceutical
industry.

However the starting

point may be extracted
from a plant!
Plenary - Crossword
Across
6. This group of medicines kill bacteria only.
7. Tradition medicine involved people chewing this which gives relief of symptoms similar to aspirin.
8. A heart drug is made using the extract of this purple flowered plant.
9. Traditionally drugs were extracted from plants and …

Down
1. An example of a cardio-
active or cardiotonic drug,
discovered by Withering.
2. The name of a medicine
developed from the
Penicillium mould.
3. The name of a mould
(fungus) which has
bactericidal properties.
4. This medicine was first
extracted from the bark of
willow trees.
5. This group of medicines
lessen the pain felt by the
patient.
Answers

Microorganisms Traditionally drugs were extracted from plants and …

Foxgloves A heart drug is made using the extract of this purple flowered plant.
Digitalis An example of a cardio-active or cardiotonic drug, discovered by
Withering.
Penicillium The name of a mould (fungus) which has bactericidal properties.
Penicillin The name of a medicine developed from the Penicillium mould.
Antibiotics This group of medicines kill bacteria only.
Painkillers This group of medicines lessen the pain felt by the patient.
Aspirin This medicine was first extracted from the bark of willow trees.
Willowbark Tradition medicine involved people chewing this which gives relief of
symptoms similar to aspirin.
 Across
6. This group of medicines kill bacteria only.
7. Tradition medicine involved people chewing this which gives relief of symptoms similar to
aspirin.
8. A heart drug is made using the extract of this purple flowered plant.
9. Traditionally drugs were extracted from plants and …

Down
1. An example of a cardio-
active or cardiotonic drug,
discovered by Withering.
2. The name of a medicine
developed from the
Penicillium mould.
3. The name of a mould
(fungus) which has
bactericidal properties.
4. This medicine was first
extracted from the bark of
willow trees.
5. This group of medicines
lessen the pain felt by the
patient.