Terminology and processes used in drug manufacture

The terms and nomenclature used in chemistry might seem over-complicated at first, but they have been internationally accepted. In this book we use the scientific names for chemicals, not their trivial or common names, e.g. ethanoic acid is used for acetic acid (a constituent of vinegar). 

The following section looks at some of the chemical principles which need to be considered when searching for a cure for a particular disease or condition. SARS in 2003 and the Bird Flu in Asia in 2004 were such examples where immediate new cures were sought to avoid a pandemic. The HIV virus has an uncanny knack of changing its surface proteins to confuse the drugs used in its treatments. Research is being conducted to overcome this problem. 

Some of the most promising places to search for suitable plants are in the tropical rain forests, although even plants in places such as Milton Keynes seem to have medicinal uses, for example willow tree bark. The willow tree was the original source of aspirin-like medicines in Britain. It cured the pains from various complaints. 

Approximately 80 % of modern drugs came initially from natural sources. There are more different species of plants in the rain forests than in any other area on Earth. Many of these species are yet to be discovered and studied in detail. Every year, thousands of plant samples are collected by drug companies to find out whether they have any anti-disease activity. Many of them do. In the mean time, we continue to destroy the rain forests just to obtain teak furniture or some extra peanuts, but that is another story. This area of research is considered in more detail in Chapter 14. 

The principles of how chemicals are isolated from plants will be used as an example. Aspirin has been chosen because it is one of the most widely used drugs in the world and it is also one of the most chemically simple, as well as one of the cheapest. 

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