Drug discovery and development: The next step

This unit takes you on a journey into real-life drug development challenges. The unit will utilise the target product profile (TPP) as the framework for exploring and understanding the challenges of translating a potential drug discovered at “the bench” into a registered medication for clinical use. Through a range of individual and group tasks, you will combine information and frameworks provided with your own inquiry to develop a holistic approach to evaluate the key milestones required for drug development, including the consideration of such things as intellectual property and patents, ethical and sustainable practices, regulatory considerations and financial factors. Cases will focus on modern drug discovery challenges and methodologies, including drug-repurposing development pathways, and will offer you the opportunity to present and interact with genuine pharmaceutical industry drug developers. You will present your evaluations via a variety of oral and written formats.

At the completion of the unit, you will have an extensive understanding of the key challenges of drug development and the purpose of a TPP, giving you a tool kit you can use to propose strategies for drug development and regulatory approval that you might encounter in your professional career.