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Importance of species selection in drug toxicity testing
1Lilly Research Laboratories, Division of Eli Lilly and Company, Greenfield, Indiana, USA.
Abstract:
The development of efficacious and safe new human pharmaceuticals continues to be highly dependent on well-designed and carefully executed animal toxicology studies. Although the protocols of most toxicology studies now conform to a standard format, careful selection of the most appropriate and relevant laboratory species is essential. This selection is usually based on pilot toxicity and general pharmacology studies in rodent and non-rodent animals, together with supporting comparative drug disposition studies to determine bioavailability and metabolic profile. A knowledge of the human metabolic profile from early in vitro studies with liver preparations can be particularly valuable.
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