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Pharmacy & Pharmacology vocabulary · Clinical Trials and Drug Development

Preclinical

Meaning in pharmacy & pharmacology, with examples

/priˈklɪnɪkəl/adjectiveAdvanced term

In pharmacy & pharmacology, preclinical means: Describes the stage of drug development before testing in humans, when a compound is studied in the laboratory and in animals for its activity and safety.

In Turkish: klinik öncesi, preklinik

How it is used

Preclinical studies include in vitro (cell and tissue) and in vivo (animal) tests of pharmacology, pharmacokinetics and toxicity. Their results support the application to start the first trials in humans, and most compounds fail at this stage. In drug companies people talk about the preclinical pipeline.

Example sentences

  1. The compound looked promising in preclinical studies but caused liver damage in Phase I.

  2. Preclinical toxicology data are needed before the first dose is given to humans.

Common collocations

  • preclinical studies
  • preclinical data
  • preclinical development
  • preclinical testing
  • clinical trialA research study in people that tests whether a new medicine or treatment is safe and works, usually by comparing it with a placebo or an existing treatment.
  • toxicityThe harmful effects a drug or chemical has on the body, especially at high doses or blood levels, or the degree to which a substance is poisonous.
  • pharmacokineticsThe study of what the body does to a drug: how it is absorbed, distributed, metabolised and eliminated, and how its level in the blood changes over time.
  • informed consentA person's voluntary agreement to take part in research or to have a treatment, given after the purpose, risks, benefits and alternatives have been clearly explained.

More terms: Clinical Trials and Drug Development

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