The rise of bio- and nano-technology in the last decades has led to the emergence of a new and unique type of medicine known as non-biological complex drugs (NBCDs). This book illustrates the challenges associated with NBCD development, as well as the complexity of assessing the effects of manufacturing changes on innovator and follow-on batches of NBCDs. It also touches upon proven marketing authorization requirements for biosimilars that could be effective in evaluating follow-on NBCDs, including a demonstration of control over the manufacturing process and a need for detailed physico-chemical characterization and (pre)clinical tests. This book is meant to be used for years to come as a standard reference work for the development of NBCDs. Moreover, this book aims to stimulate discussions and further our thinking to ensure that decisions regarding the approval of complex drugs are made with relevant scientific data on the table.
This volume in the AAPS Advances series covers various quality, safety and clinical aspects of drug development that are relevant to new and/or generic drugs containing a complex mixture of molecules. Specific topics discussed include: raw materials sourcing; manufacturing controls; characterization; identification of critical product quality components and attributes; identification of impurities, particularly as they bear on toxicity and immunogenicity; clinical trial study design considerations, and the regulatory science applications to development of such complex mixtures. Complex mixtures are challenging to characterize and analyze using standard methods. Further challenges extend throughout the product development cycle from raw material control to clinical study design. The regulatory landscape is rapidly changing as new types of complex mixtures are introduced into clinical trials and to the market (e.g., traditional Chinese medicines and medical marijuana products), while older products are facing generic competition for the first time (e.g., enoxaparin). The future outlook for complex generic drug products, as opposed to the more commonly developed targeted single agent drug products is not clear. The risks pertaining to lack of a full understanding of raw material control, process and controls in manufacture, as well as characterization of a complex mixture were seen vividly during the heparin crisis of 2008. As such powerful lessons have been learned about the regulatory science specific to complex products. The Science and Regulations of Naturally Derived Complex Drugs addresses the interests among industry, academics, and government on the issues surrounding the future development of mixtures for medicinal use.
This comprehensive book, comprising 20 chapters contributed by respected academics in their respective fields, highlights the immense contribution of traditional medicine to the discovery and development of modern drugs. Each chapter provides in-depth details, stimulating experts to further explore the flora used in traditional medicines and inspiring younger investigators to delve into the mysterious world of secondary metabolites in their quest for novel molecules. This book is of immense value to scientists, academicians, researchers, and students alike, making it a valuable addition to personal collections and libraries.
Do you no longer understand the countless, contradictory dietary recommendations? Do you find it difficult to distinguish between good and bad when it comes to cholesterol? Are you torn between the various dietary rules and nutritional forms that come your way every day and despair of the term "healthy diet"? Or are you confronted professionally, e.g. as a consultant or fitness coach, with questions on the subject of nutrition and would like to learn the scientific basics? The author Thomas Vilgis advises you to remain calm and to think objectively about all assumptions, presumptions, promises and suggestions for orientation. This book leads you off the beaten track and with a scientific, sober view to fundamental questions of nutrition. Starting with the nutritional history of Homo sapiens, the author guides you into the fundamental interplay between proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, what they do in the body, how they are digested, and what role they really play. Supporting you will find in the second edition various retrievable videos in which complex relationships are clearly explained. This quickly shows how little is hidden behind some dubious statements. With the claim of a scientific and molecular view of nutrition, it is possible to put into perspective and classify many a questionable recommendation on nutrition in an understandable and entertaining way.
Some people suffer from chronic, debilitating disorders for which no conventional treatment brings relief. Can marijuana ease their symptoms? Would it be breaking the law to turn to marijuana as a medication? There are few sources of objective, scientifically sound advice for people in this situation. Most books about marijuana and medicine attempt to promote the views of advocates or opponents. To fill the gap between these extremes, authors Alison Mack and Janet Joy have extracted critical findings from a recent Institute of Medicine study on this important issue, interpreting them for a general audience. Marijuana As Medicine? provides patientsâ€"as well as the people who care for themâ€"with a foundation for making decisions about their own health care. This empowering volume examines several key points, including: Whether marijuana can relieve a variety of symptoms, including pain, muscle spasticity, nausea, and appetite loss. The dangers of smoking marijuana, as well as the effects of its active chemical components on the immune system and on psychological health. The potential use of marijuana-based medications on symptoms of AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis, and several other specific disorders, in comparison with existing treatments. Marijuana As Medicine? introduces readers to the active compounds in marijuana. These include the principal ingredient in Marinol, a legal medication. The authors also discuss the prospects for developing other drugs derived from marijuana's active ingredients. In addition to providing an up-to-date review of the science behind the medical marijuana debate, Mack and Joy also answer common questions about the legal status of marijuana, explaining the conflict between state and federal law regarding its medical use. Intended primarily as an aid to patients and caregivers, this book objectively presents critical information so that it can be used to make responsible health care decisions. Marijuana As Medicine? will also be a valuable resource for policymakers, health care providers, patient counselors, medical faculty and studentsâ€"in short, anyone who wants to learn more about this important issue.
The global popularity of herbal supplements and the promise they hold in treating various disease states has caused an unprecedented interest in understanding the molecular basis of the biological activity of traditional remedies. Herbal Medicine: Biomolecular and Clinical Aspects focuses on presenting current scientific evidence of biomolecular ef
The very rapid pace of advances in biomedical research promises us a wide range of new drugs, medical devices, and clinical procedures. The extent to which these discoveries will benefit the public, however, depends in large part on the methods we choose for developing and testing them. Modern Methods of Clinical Investigation focuses on strategies for clinical evaluation and their role in uncovering the actual benefits and risks of medical innovation. Essays explore differences in our current systems for evaluating drugs, medical devices, and clinical procedures; health insurance databases as a tool for assessing treatment outcomes; the role of the medical profession, the Food and Drug Administration, and industry in stimulating the use of evaluative methods; and more. This book will be of special interest to policymakers, regulators, executives in the medical industry, clinical researchers, and physicians.
Evidence-Based Validation of Herbal Medicines: Translational Research on Botanicals brings together current thinking and practice in the characterization and validation of natural products. The book describes different approaches and techniques for evaluating the quality, safety and efficacy of herbal medicine, particularly methods to assess their activity and understand compounds responsible and their probable underlying mechanisms of action. This book brings together the views, expertise and experiences of scientific experts in the field of medicinal plant research, hence it will be useful for researcher who want to know more about the natural lead with their validation and also useful to exploit traditional medicines. - Includes state-of-the-art methods for detecting, isolating and performing structure elucidation by degradation and spectroscopic techniques - Highlights the trends in validation and value addition of herbal medicine with different scientific approaches used in therapeutics - Contains several all-new chapters on topics such as traditional-medicine-inspired drug development to treat emerging viral diseases, medicinal plants in antimicrobial resistance, TLC bio profiling, botanicals as medicinal foods, bioprospecting and bioassay-guided isolation of medicinal plants, immunomodulators from medicinal plants, and more
This important book for scientists and nonscientists alike calls attention to a most urgent global problem: the rapidly accelerating loss of plant and animal species to increasing human population pressure and the demands of economic development. Based on a major conference sponsored by the National Academy of Sciences and the Smithsonian Institution, Biodiversity creates a systematic framework for analyzing the problem and searching for possible solutions.
