This is a draft cheat sheet. It is a work in progress and is not finished yet.
Side Effects of Me-Too Drugs
Crowded Marketplace |
too many similar drugs |
Stifled innovation |
Companies priotise creation of 2nd-gen drugs rather than pursuing new drugs |
Cost |
Cost increases |
Example
Gen 1 |
Teprotide
Couldn't be taken by mouth |
Gen 2 |
Captopril
Contains sulfur group, allowing it to be taken by mouth
caused intense itching, loss of taste, dry cough
had to be taken thre times a day |
Gen 3 |
Enalapril
doesn't have sulfur
can be taken orally
taken once a day |
|
|
Effects of Hypertension
Brain |
Stroke
Loss of brain function
Headache |
Kidney |
Chronic Failure
Proteins leak into urine
most vulnerable organ |
Vessels |
Endothelial damage |
Heart |
Heart Attack
thickened heart wall |
Eyes |
Chronic retina damage |
Definitions
Innovator Drug |
The first drug onto the market to meet a previously unmet medical need |
Therapeutic Class |
A family of drugs that are grouped together based on their use for treating similar diseases |
Drug Analogue |
A molecule with a similar but not identical structure to another drug. Despite similarities they can have very different pharmacological and toxicological properties. |
Small Molecule Drug |
A drug with a molecule mass less than 500 grams. Often cheap to make |
Dosing Frequency |
The number of time a patient has to take a pill everyday. |
Compliance |
The extent to which a person follows the advice of their doctors. Somehow who skips doses shows low compliance |
|
|
Me-Too Drug Examples
Amoxicillin
1964 |
From: penicillin
Fixed: Sensitivity to stomach acid
Treats: everyday infenctions |
Fexofenadine
1980 |
From: Diphenhydramine
Fixed: Sedation
Treats: antihistamine |
Cefepime
1983 |
From: cephalosporin
Fixed: More suitable killing activity
Treats: life threatening infections |
Celecoxib
1995 |
From: Ibuprofen
Fixed: gastrointestinal damage
Treats: anti-inflammatory |
Atorvastatin
Lipitor
1996 |
From: Lovastatin
Fixed: More effective
treats: lowers cholesterol |
Atazanavir
1997 |
From: PI'S
Fixed: didn't distrupt lipid metabolism
Treats: AIDS |
Side Effects
Most drugs cause side effects. Drugs are designed to bind a specific receptor, however they may bind to, and stop the function, of another receptor. this is what causes the side effects. this tendency to bind to multiple receptors is known as non-specificity |
|
