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New drugs have to go through rigorous testing procedures before they are allowed to be used on the public.

Biology - Use of Drugs (AQA)

Drugs can help treat disease but may cause side effects or harm if misused. In GCSE Biology you explore how medicines are tested, prescribed and controlled safely.

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Fascinating Fact:

Good trials use placebos and double blind design. This reduces bias and helps reveal true benefits and risks.

In GCSE Biology (AQA), you learn how new drugs are developed and checked for safety and effectiveness. You also study how legal and illegal drugs affect the body, behaviour and health.

Key Terms

Clinical trial: A carefully controlled test of a new drug on human volunteers and patients to check safety and how well it works.
Placebo: A treatment with no active drug, used in some trials to compare results and see whether the real drug has a genuine effect.
Double blind trial: A trial where neither the participants nor the researchers know who receives the real drug or placebo until the end.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

Why are new drugs tested before doctors prescribe them?

New drugs are tested to check that they are safe at the right dose and that they work as intended. Testing helps identify side effects and reduces the risk of harming patients.

What is the difference between medical and recreational drugs?

Medical drugs are prescribed to treat or prevent disease, such as antibiotics or painkillers. Recreational drugs are taken for pleasure and may be legal, like alcohol, or illegal, like some Class A substances.

Why can some drugs become addictive or lead to dependence?

Some drugs change brain chemistry and reward pathways. With repeated use, the body gets used to the drug, leading to craving, tolerance and withdrawal symptoms if the person stops taking it suddenly.

Try These Related Quizzes

1 .

Which of these is one reason why it costs a lot of money to develop new drugs?

A lot of the new substances being developed as drugs fail the first tests

It makes the drugs companies more profit

They pay large sums of money to people who agree to take part in clinical trials

Making the placebo costs twice as much as making the new drug

It takes a lot of work by teams of scientists to come up with ideas for new drugs. Then they have to work out how to make the new chemical which isn't easy. This all costs a lot of money and that is before the first trial so if a lot of the substances they develop fail any of the tests, that is a lot of money spent for no result

2 .

Which one of the following is not a medical drug?

Heroin

LSD

Paracetamol

Thalidomide

The difficulty with this question is making the choice between heroin and LSD. The chemical name for heroin is diacetylmorphine and it is used in UK hospitals as an extremely powerful pain killer

3 .

What is a placebo?

A double strength version of a drug

A half strength version of a drug

A fake version of the drug

A scientist who specialises in doing clinical trials

A placebo is a control to make the results more accurate. If a volunteer who took a placebo reports that they have recovered or are feeling better, it means that their result can be ignored as they have not taken the drug

4 .

What were the effects of thalidomide on a foetus?

Twisted spine

Limb abnormalities

Kidney problems

Uneven growth of the head bones (elephantitis)

Many of the thalidomide children also had abnormalities with their internal organs, which is why such a high proportion died

5 .

What is the purpose of the first clinical trial?

To see if it is toxic to humans

To find the best dose

To make some money so that they can manufacture the drug

To see if people like the taste of the new drug

If the drug is found to be non-toxic, a second clinical trial can be carried out to find the best dose and to see just how effective it is

6 .

Why was thalidomide sold to pregnant women?

To cure backache

To prevent varicose veins

To help them sleep

To stop morning sickness

The 'catch' here would be the answer 'to help them sleep' as that was the original use of this drug

7 .

What is a double blind clinical trial?

One in which the patients wear blindfolds so they don't know if they have had the drug or the placebo

Only the doctors know who has had the drug and who has had the placebo

Only the patients know who has had the drug and who has had the placebo

Neither the doctors nor the patients know who has had the drug and who has had the placebo until afterwards

This makes the results of clinical testing more accurate

8 .

What is the importance of thalidomide?

It was the first ever antibiotic

It prompted drug testing laws to be improved

It was the most profitable drug of all time

It was the first drug to be sold that didn't need a prescription

It was never tested for use on pregnant women. At the time, the medical profession still didn't realise how easily a foetus could be damaged. Women at the time even smoked cigarettes and drank alcohol whilst pregnant

9 .

Why are drugs tested on cells, tissues and live animals in the laboratory first?

Only to see if it does what the scientists hope it will do

Only to find out if it could be toxic

Only to check for the right dose

To see if it if it works and is non-toxic

The drugs are tested using computer models and human cells grown in the laboratory. Many new drugs fail this test because they damage the cells or do not seem to work. Only if they pass this test will testing be taken further

10 .

Why must medical drugs be tested before they are used on patients?

To check they work efficiently

To check that they are safe to use

To find the best dose

All of the above

Testing can also find any side-effects that taking the particular drug might have

You can find more about this topic by visiting BBC Bitesize - Treating, curing and preventing disease - AQA

Author: Kev Woodward (PGCE, Science & Chemistry Teacher, Quiz Writer)