It takes talent, dedication, lots of time, and a sizable investment to bring a safe and effective drug to market. The Drug Discovery Process YouTube video, compliments of PhRMAPress, introduces the long and arduous drug process from the identification of a compound in the lab, though clinical trials and the FDA approval process. It may sound simple, but this process may take up to 1,000 people, 12-15 years and up to 1.3 to 1.6 billion dollars to put a new drug in the hands of the patient.
Consider this process when following the progress of hepatitis B drugs on the Hepatitis B Foundation Drug Watch page. Compounds could remain in various stages for years. Note that the “preclinical” phase represents the drugs that are still in the lab and not yet ready for human clinical trials.
The Hepatitis B Foundation also maintains a webpage with the latest hepatitis B related clinical trials. Contact information is provided for each trial for those wishing to volunteer to participate. Volunteers must meet the criteria for participation in a trial.
The future looks bright for a functional cure for hepatitis B. It may take a few more years to get the drug into the hands of the patient, but each step of the process is crucial in order to produce a drug that is both effective and safe.