Abstract

Moving a drug from the research laboratory bench to the pharmacy shelf is no easy task. While identifying biological activity in a molecule marks an initial step, the journey to develop a drug that is both available and effective for patients is complex, lengthy, risky, and expensive. The critical steps required to obtain approval for clinical trials will be discussed with the aim of providing a comprehensive view of how organic chemistry can be transformed into medicinal chemistry to advance in the search for healing. Illustrative in-house case studies will exemplify the various stages of this process.