[The present status of research and development of original drugs]

The objective of the article is to make readers familiar with contemporary methods of research and development of original drugs and elucidate economic aspects of pharmaceutical research. The contemporary strategy of research and development in the Research Institute for Pharmacy and Biochemistry is discussed in relation to general trends. Pharmaceutical research and development are characterized by high costs which vary in the majority of pharmaceutical companies engaged in the development of new drugs between 12-16% of the total turnover. The author discusses problems associated with the return rate of these investments in conjunction with patent protection and the time taken to develop original drugs. Expedient use of the large financial funds calls for rational management of research and development. The author therefore pays attention to an analysis of rational methods of management of research and development which are applied in the selection of a research programme and of research projects, to modern methods of research and to the organization of research and development. The author deals subsequently in more detail with contemporary methods of research focused on the detection of leading structures, where molecular modelling and technology of combinatorial chemistry are used. By their combination with optimization procedures using statistical data analysis rational design of molecules is made possible.