Drugs that live long will prosper
A simple change to some pharmaceuticals might boost their efficacy, and make a few firms a packet along the way
WHATEVER ails you, if you have to take two pills a day for it instead of one, you can blame metabolic clearance. Before they can get busy, drug molecules must run a biochemical gauntlet as the body’s machinery tries to break them down. As a result, much of what is in a pill may be excreted in useless pieces before it has had a chance to work its wonders.
This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Drugs that live long will prosper”
From the September 5th 2015 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionDiscover more
Elon Musk is causing problems for the Royal Society
His continued membership has led to a high-profile resignation
Deforestation is costing Brazilian farmers millions
Without trees to circulate moisture, the land is getting hotter and drier
Robots can learn new actions faster thanks to AI techniques
They could soon show their moves in settings from car factories to care homes
Scientists are learning why ultra-processed foods are bad for you
A mystery is finally being solved
Scientific publishers are producing more papers than ever
Concerns about some of their business models are building
The two types of human laugh
One is caused by tickling; the other by everything else