The discovery and development of new medicines is a long and expensive process. Taking a drug from early understanding of the disease, development and onto the market may take 10-15 years. With a high risk of attrition (the number of drug failing to reach the market) and a cost of up to $1.2billion for a new drug to reach the market according to some recent estimate, the development of new treatments is a risky business.
Researchers in the early process of the drug discovery work to understand the disease and discover the right molecule to interact with the right target in a commitment to advancing science and bringing new medicines to patients. The modern drug discovery process is the collaborative work of many scientists from a wide range of expertise to bring safe and effective new compounds from the lab to the clinic.