As ubiquitous as medications and
pharmaceutical products have become, it is not unexpected that the majority of
the general population have an oversimplified perception about how medications
are developed. What is surprising is how most healthcare professionals
including some pharmacists have insufficient exposure to the intricate and
elaborate process required for an idea to morph into a product that is then refined,
repeatedly tested and eventually released as a medication. Even as a pharmacy
student at one of the top pharmacy colleges in the United States, my
understanding of the process remains limited but has been significantly
enhanced by the series of lectures we have had as part of the “Exploring
Pharmacy” elective. Although there have been many highlights from this course
so far, two specific topics are most interesting to me.
In his lecture, “Drug Discovery and
Drug Design”, Dr. Beleh efficiently portrayed the effort involved in the development
of drugs. Regardless of whether the initial product was extracted from a
natural source or synthesized in a laboratory, our ability to redesign the
product - by improving its ability to cross the blood brain barrier, or adding
a moiety to make it more selective for a specific action, amongst other
examples – is not only evidence for the effort and time needed to manufacture
the most effective and safest medication but as interesting is one of the many
steps needed to deliver the final form of the drug to the patient. I can
imagine how going through the process of testing the medication in animals and
then clinical trials and obtaining the approval of the governing drug
administrations such as the FDA can be as involved and complicated. Moreover,
his talk indirectly triggered my interest in how the concept of targeted
therapy has evolved with our profession and has continued in our current era to
progress from treatments that have a specific organ target to those that target a
gene in a specific cell of a specific organ.
On the other hand, our session
about herbal supplements highlighted the misconception that most healthcare
providers have. Pharmacists that I interviewed were skeptical about herbal
products. Although it is important to be careful when examining these products,
it is surprising to me how practicing pharmacists have scarce knowledge about
the large body of research addressing these products. It was eye opening to
listen to Dr. Shimp’s presentation. It simply underlines an area of deficiency
that many healthcare providers need to address. I think that as long as pharmacists lack sufficient knowledge about these two topics, the rest of the health care profession and as importantly the general population will continue to have misconceptions. So how can we work on getting better? How can I be as knowledgeable about herbal products as I should about prescription medications.
Souhad Bazzi
I felt it was very interesting to learn about the history of drug discovery. Throughout pharmacy school, we focus a great deal on how medications are used, what they are used for, what adverse effects they can cause, and more. However, we usually never hear about how these drugs are discovered. From this elective, we’ve been exposed to the backgrounds of many prominent figures in the scientific community – such as Gertrude Elion, William Beaumont, William Withering, and others. All of their contributions and discoveries have substantially influenced the field of healthcare. Even though many people understand the importance of their contributions, I feel we don’t ever think about the unique stories behind them. I believe that the history behind drug discovery is a fascinating topic and it makes me have an even greater appreciation for what we’re learning in school. For example, I thought it was really amazing how Gertrude Elion and Dr. Hitchings were able to discover so many blockbuster drugs within a few decades. From my regulatory affairs elective, I learned that it takes a tremendous amount of time and money to complete the transition from basic science to drug marketing. The vast majority of drugs that happen to reach the market are not blockbusters. However, Elion’s contributions for azathioprine, allopurinol, and acyclovir are all considered extremely successful drugs – which are amazing accomplishments.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with what Souhad said about herbal supplements. Many patients and even healthcare providers are unaware about the benefits or risks of numerous dietary/herbal supplements. As drug experts, I feel that it is crucial for pharmacists to have a complete understanding of supplements because dietary/herbal supplement use is very common. It is important for us to be able to educate patients on the risks and benefits of what they’re taking. I understand that many times, there is a lack of research for the efficacy or toxicity about dietary/herbal supplements. However, pharmacists should still have at least a basic understanding of all supplements. From what I heard during presentations, several of the pharmacists have minimal to no knowledge of some of the supplements we researched. Even if many of the dietary/herbal supplements are not yet clinically tested, we should still learn about them in the pharmacy curriculum. In order to help improve patient care and safety, it’s crucial for us to gain enough exposure to all types of medications.
Hanjie
Before starting this elective I was always curious as to how the most life changing drugs came about. In my opinion, in order to come up with a drug that is useful and can target a specific disease state, I feel the person has to be a genius! This course has been informative because I have been able to learn that the simplest modifications to a drug can really cause it to be more effective or more toxic. A person would never think that a simple change such as adding a methyl or a hydroxyl group to a ring would cause such a dramatic effect. I usually link simple changes, to simple results. However, that is not that case when it comes to drugs. I agree with Hanjie in that the contributors to these drugs are only known for their achievements, rather than the story behind their achievements. It is important to learn about a person’s history because many times that is what stems their interest in a topic, and leads them to their discoveries.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to the herbal/dietary supplements, I agree with Souhad that pharmacist tend to shy away from these subjects. I believe this may be the case because as pharmacy students, these topics were not discussed or taught, and so we have a negative view of their ability to help individuals. However, I feel that it is important to be educated on these topics because as future pharmacist, and as the future of medicine is expanding, I feel that herbals are becoming more popular. Many people hear about different herbals that they may take, and since they are usually on so many other medications they feel that these herbals can make a difference. It is our duties to be informed about these topics so that when we are addressed about the topic in the future we are able to give well informed responses. However, if we have a negative connotation that herbals are not useful, then we will have the same responses when asked about herbals that many of the pharmacist did when we asked them about our products. Overall, drug discovery is an evolving topic, and it is always changing. It is important to stay informed about the changes in drug formation, as well as be informed about herbals in order to help be the most efficient pharmacists in the future.
Hyatt Bakri