Major Drug Introductions

Abstract

This chapter lists 339 compounds which were first introduced during the years 1993–2002 as listed in Annual Reports in Medicinal Chemistry. Most of these were new chemical entities (NCEs) but there are also a few new biological entities (NBEs). Whilst there was an average of 34 new introductions per year, there does appear to have been a fall in the annual rate over the time being considered. Most new drugs were discovered and most were first introduced into the US with Japan and the UK being in second and third places respectively. Compounds are discussed in terms of the therapeutic areas for which they were initially introduced and anti-infectives, anti-cancer drugs, drugs for cardiovascular disease and for diseases of the nervous system are dominant. Significant novel agents include new blockbusting statins for the control of blood cholesterol levels, new treatments for malaria, new anti-HIV agents, the first treatment for erectile dysfunction and the first effective treatment for some forms of chronic myelogenous leukaemia. All of the compounds bear witness to the ongoing creativity of medicinal chemists and related disciplines involved in drug discovery.