• Question: who do you test the drugs on ?

    Asked by to Jess on 14 Mar 2014. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: Jess Smith

      Jess Smith answered on 14 Mar 2014:

      It depends at what stage we are at, there are basically 4 stages of testing drugs and medical implants:

      1. In the lab – does it work?
      We make sure that the drug is worth investing in by testing all its different properties, basically to check that it does what it is meant to! As I am an engineer, this is the stage that I work at.

      2. In the lab – is it safe?
      So now we test if it is harmful/ toxic to biological systems, just using cells that have been grown in the lab, and blood samples.

      3. Animal testing
      We have to test drugs and implants in animals to ensure that we know how they work and that they are safe. In the UK the rules and guidelines are very strict. We use the absolute minimum number possible, and they are kept in excellent conditions. Nobody likes doing it, but it is an essential part of understanding how the drug will actually work. Every drug that has ever been developed has been tested on animals. Also to put it into perspective, the number of chickens killed each year for food in the UK is more than the total number of animals used in animal testing in Britain in the last 200 years! If you want to find out more about animal testing check out: http://www.understandinganimalresearch.org.uk/about-us/the-science-action-network/forty-reasons-why-we-need-animals-in-research/

      4. Clinical trials
      These are where we test the drugs or implants on people in very very controlled environments, to check that it is definitely safe for humans. People volunteer to be tested on.

      If we get through all of these check points, then the drug can go to market, helping save the lives of many people and animals!

      I hope this helps!

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