The History of Drug Development

The 21st century provided means to develop new medicines and drugs for the treatment of various diseases. As we progress, more drugs are developed for the treatment of illnesses and epidemics by using herbs and plants found in nature. Drug development continue to progress as scientists become more equipped with new technologies and knowledge.

Drug Use In Prehistoric Era

• In 1975, Ralph Solecki of Columbia University showed the excavations of the Shanidar Cave located in the mountains of northern Iraq. In these caves he found pollen grains from 28 species of flowers, wherein seven were used as medicinal herbs. In the Neolithic period, about 11,000 years ago, seeds of betel nut were found in Thailand, the Philippines and India. These nuts were shown to be evidence of medicinal use during this period.

Opium

• Before the 20th century, the most effective and potent medicinal drug that was developed was opium, which was obtained from the poppy. These were mostly found in European countries, particularly in France, Germany, Switzerland and Spain. Early opium use was seen in Cueva de los Murcielagos in Spain. Poppy capsules in Spanish ancient burial sites were also discovered in 1868.

Herbs

• Herbs and formula listing drugs and its uses were published in Greek books during the fourth or fifth century. At that time, the books were like recipe books, with pagan incantations and spells. Physicians largely recognized herbs used for medicinal purposes after German authors published a book with illustrations from woodcuts. One of the most effective herbs is the cinchona bark from South America, which is believed to have been used 30 or 40 years ago during an epidemic in Peru.

War Period

• The pharmaceutical industry was dominated by German and Swiss chemical companies after the Second World War. Medicines were strongly developed during the war to assist the soldiers in coping with war-related diseases. Penicillin was mass produced and antibiotics were immediately available. However, as drugs were mass produced, drug regulations and safety were overlooked and became liberal, especially in the free market.

Biotechnology and Bioinformatics

• Both biotechnology and bioinformatics surfaced between the 60s and 80s. Bioinformatics focus on developing random techniques for new compounds, while biotechnology searches for potential compound relatives among thousands of molecular entities. Biotechnology explores different scientific disciplines such as biochemistry, biology, microbiology and biochemical engineering to search for compounds that can be used for medicinal purposes.