To design and develop new drugs, pharmacologists utilize some of the most advanced research tools to see how the molecules of potential new drugs interact with molecules in animal and human cells.
Pharmacologists play a key role in testing new drugs for eventual use in humans.
At first, they try to determine if a new drug can kill or neutralize a virus, bacteria, or other disease-causing agent in the test tube or in cell cultures without harming normal cells. If so, the drug is tested for toxic effects. Because lack of toxicity in cell cultures does not guarantee that the experimental drug will be safe in animals or humans, toxicity is tested on at least two kinds of animals. If the drug proves safe and effective in animals, it is given to humans in carefully designed clinical trials, performed according to strict FDA guidelines. Only when a new drug has been shown to be safe and effective in clinical trials does the FDA approve it for widespread use in people.