Pharmaprojects launches searchable pharmacokinetics fields

Pharmaprojects, the worlds leading source of business-critical intelligence on drugs in global R&D, announces the launch of searchable pharmacokinetics fields which will be featured on the powerful new Pharmaprojects on the Web.

Pharmaprojects, the worlds leading source of business-critical intelligence on drugs in global R&D, has further increased the breadth of its data by including searchable pharmacokinetic (PK) values. The inclusion of PK data is just one enhancement to be featured on the powerful new Pharmaprojects on the Web, which will be launched in May 2003. Other new features include the linking of Scrip references to original Scrip World Pharmaceutical News articles, and the linking of patent numbers to full patent documents via MicroPatent®. These additions reinforce Pharmaprojects as the most accessible, comprehensive and complete R&D intelligence tool available.

According to research into the use of PK data and its effect on successful drug development, about 40% of drug candidates fail during development because of PK problems+. The inclusion of PK data within Pharmaprojects allows users to pinpoint drugs with inadequate PK properties, which may through reformulation be made vastly more efficacious and therapeutic. It also makes it easy to see what characteristics are present in the most successful drugs.

Internationally recognised pharmacokinetics expert and Professor of Pharmacology at Rochester University, New York, Stephen Curry, says of the role of pharmacokinetics in drug discovery, Pharmacokinetics has grown from being (as recently as 1990) a component of profiling of candidate drugs already chosen for preclinical development (multiple dose GLP toxicology and Phase I human testing) to being an integral component of the candidate drug selection. This has been driven by the realisation that development compounds should be chosen from among the various possible compounds as much for their pharmacokinetic properties as for any other, and that this will reduce the risk of expensive GLP toxicology and human studies being conducted on compounds doomed to fail for pharmacokinetic reasons".

The new field includes a whole range of data for many PK values:
· Bioavailability, which is the fraction of unchanged drug which reaches the systemic circulation.
· T1/2, the time taken for 50% of the drug to be eliminated from the body (Pharmaprojects further divides these values into t1/2a, the distribution phase and t1/2b, the elimination phase). Both bioavailability and t1/2 are searchable and are especially valuable for companies with specialized drug delivery technologies to offer for licensing.
· Tmax, which describes the time from drug administration to peak blood concentration.
· Cmax, the peak plasma concentration after a single dose.
· AUC, short for Area Under the Curve, a measure of the total amount of drug the patient is exposed to following administration.
· Vd, the volume of fluid in the body in which the drug has been distributed and
· Cl, the rate at which the body eliminates the drug

The inclusion of PK data not only makes Pharmaprojects more scientifically comprehensive, it also allows users to gauge the likelihood of a drug successfully being launched, and highlights those drugs which are especially suitable for reformulation by drug delivery companies.

+ Prentis, R.A.; Lis, Y,; Walker, S.R. Pharmaceutical innovation by the seven UK-owned pharmaceutical companies (1964-1985) Br. J Clin. Pharmacol 1988, 25, 387-396
About Pharmaprojects

Pharmaprojects, the leading database tracking pharmaceutical development from early preclinical study through to launch or discontinuation, has 23 years experience as an information provider to the industry. Pharmaprojects uses a fully-searchable application that allows you to pinpoint the specific information you are looking for whether it be comprehensive drug profiles, a competitors pipeline or licensing opportunities. Pharmaprojects is available monthly on the Web and via CD-ROM format; the data is also accessible weekly via online hosts PJB Publications, Dialog and Datastar, Ovid Technologies and STN International. The Pharmaprojects team is available for comment or to provide presentations on trends in pharmaceutical R&D; for details, please contact Ian Lloyd, Managing Editor.

About PJB Publications

PJB Publications, established in 1976, is an independent publishing company of business-to-business information. Specialist areas of knowledge include pharmaceuticals on which it publishes the twice-weekly newsletter Scrip, medical devices and diagnostics, biotechnology, veterinary, crop protection, agribusiness, clinical research and regulatory affairs.

About Stephen Curry

Stephen Curry is an independent consultant, teacher and writer. He is Professor of Pharmacology and Physiology at the University of Rochester, having held appointments at the University of London, the University of Florida, and with Fisons and AstraZeneca .He is the author of four books and over 150 journal publications. www.stephenhcurry.com

For editorial information contact:
Ian Lloyd,
Managing Editor, Pharmaprojects
Telephone +44 (0) 20 8332 8877
Facsimile +44 (0) 20 8332 8994
E-mail   ian.lloyd@pjbpubs.com
URL   http://www.pjbpubs.com/cms.asp?pageid=882#pharmaprojects
Websites http://www.pharmaprojects.com