Biology - B1.3 - Medicine and Drugs - Revision Cards in GCSE Biology

B1.3.1 - Developing New Medicines

Drugs tested on cells -> tissues -> organs -> animals -> healthy humans -> ill humans
Low doses are given to humans, incase unsafe, and side effects are reported
Placebos given to half the patients in some trails to see if there really is an effect
Double-blind trial - neither patient nor doctor know who's given a drug
Thalidomide - orginally used as sleeping pill, but could control morning sickness, so given to pregnant women - it hadn't been tested on pregnant women and some babies were born with limb abnormalities as a result
The drug was banned and rules for drug testing were improved
Recently, it has been used to treat other conditions, including leprosy

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Statins - drugs which lower 'bad' cholesterol amount, given to older people, taken daily, trials, using very large numbers of people, show that incidences of heart disease and strokes has gone down by over 40%
Some peopple prefer non-prescribed drugs - eg. herbs
St John Wort - herb used to treat depression instead of anti depresants - eg. Prozac
Double-blind trials must be conducted to see which is more effective

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Useful drugs made form natural substances have been used by indigenous people for a long time
When developing drugs, testing takes a long time to ensure there are no side effects
Recreational drugs, eg. heroin and cocaine are used for pleasure - they are addictive and illegal
Cannabis is also an illegal, recreational drug and some argue it can lead to 'harder' drugs
Stopping taking addictive drugs results in withdrawal symptons

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Medicinal drugs are developed over many years and are used to control disease or to help people suffering - most are only avaliable by prescription
Recreational drugs are used for pleasure - they affect the brain and nervous system - which makes them easily addictive - and can have adverse affects on the heart and circulatory system
Nicotine, caffeine and alcohol are legal, recreational drugs - many health problems are associated with them, eg. alcohol poisoning, nicotine addiction leading to lung cancer from cigarette smoke
Some drugs used for medicinal purposes can be used illegally in sport, eg. stimulants

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Evidence shows that cannabis causes mental illnesses in some people and teenagers smoking it increase their risk of getting depression
Cannabis is an illegal drugs, bought from dealers, which puts users in contact with hard drugs, eg. heroin
Not all cannabis users go on to hard drugs, but nearly all heroin users previously smoked cannabis

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Some athletes are tempted to use drugs, to improve their performance
Steroids build up muscle mass and other drugs can increase stamina
Strong pain killers are banned, as injuries may be ignored, leading to further damage
Most performance-inhancing drugs are expensive, giving an unfair advantage to those who can afford them
Perfomance enhancing drugs can cause permanent damage and even lead to death
Most people think that using performance-enhancing drugs is unethical

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