Formulation Research Strategy For Discovery- Stage New Drug Candidates

By Jim Huang, PhD, Founder & CEO, and Edward Orton, PhD, SVP, Ascendia Pharmaceuticals

Drug discovery medicinal chemistry programs typically involve generations of multiple lead compounds, which must be evaluated according to various selection criteria.

The selection process allows a drug candidate along with one or more backup candidates to be chosen for preclinical development from a set of lead compounds. Thus, in vivo studies of new drug candidates at this early stage take on great importance. Negative or ambiguous results may well lead to erroneous conclusions regarding candidate advancement. In worst case scenarios, research programs may be terminated based on flawed data.