Delving into Traditional Chinese Medicine To Seek “New” Drug Structures

Abstract

Traditional medicines from China and India deserve a careful review, particularly for their value as “scaffolds” for developing new drug products, including antimicrobial agents, according to Norton Peet, an international research and development consultant who is based in North Andover, Mass. The antimalarial drug artemisinin is perhaps the best example of an already useful product being examined and redesigned to enhance its activity, he says. Peet was one of several experts touting the value of this approach, who spoke during the PharmaDiscovery Conference, held in Bethesda, Md., last May.