Quote:
Originally Posted by Pinner
Don't most pharmaceuticals evolve from herbals ?
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This used to be true but it is becoming more common to discover drug candidates via other methods. For example, combinatorial chemistry is used to generate a library of compounds (say 10,000 compounds) which are screened for hits. Combi-chem isn't very efficient but you often get a few hits out of each library. The most intriguing approach, in my opinion, is target-oriented synthesis whereby a drug is tailor made to interact specifically with an enzyme of interest. Target-oriented synthesis requires an intimate understanding of the site of interest, which is easier said than done.
That being said, you would have to be a fool to not take inspiration from nature. I've personally synthesized several natural products in the lab, but I'll be the first to admit that my synthetic routes are nowhere near as elegant as the natural process. Nature really is amazing.
Someone also mentioned drugs designed for individuals, which is currently a pipe dream. I do believe that this will be possible in the next 100 years though.
Finally, I honestly have no idea why herbal remedies aren't subject to the same guidelines that pharmaceuticals are. It makes no sense.