In medicine, biotechnology and pharmacology, drug discovery is the process by which drugs are discovered and/or designed.

In the past most drugs have been discovered either by identifying the active ingredient from traditional remedies or by serendipitous discovery.

A new approach has been to understand how disease and infection are controlled at the molecular and physiological level and to target specific entities based on this knowledge. The process of drug discovery involves the identification of candidates, synthesis, characterization, screening, and assays for therapeutic efficacy.

Once a compound has shown its value in these tests, it will begin the process of drug development prior to clinical trials.

For more information about the topic Drug discovery, read the full article at Wikipedia.org, or see the following related articles:

Clinical trial — The most commonly performed clinical trials evaluate new drugs, medical devices, biologics, or other interventions to patients in strictly ...  > read more

Antiviral drug — Antiviral drugs are a class of medication used specifically for treating viral infections. Like antibiotics, specific antivirals are used for ...  > read more

Biopharmaceutical — Biopharmaceuticals are medical drugs produced using biotechnology. They are proteins (including antibodies), nucleic acids (DNA, RNA or antisense ...  > read more

Pharmaceutical company — A pharmaceutical company, or drug company, is a commercial business licensed to research, develop, market and/or distribute drugs, most commonly in ...  > read more

Editor's Note: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

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