Historical Perspective of Drug Discovery and Development

Abstract

Historically ever since the existence of humans on this planet the process of drug discovery was started by trial and error method. Initially they tested the natural products on self to understand the effects. Serendipity played a great role in the evolution of drug discovery. Isolation of active ingredients from plants started in the early nineteenth century. The advances in the field of chemical and biological sciences started the modern drug discovery and development. The regulatory processes became stringent due to some adverse events in the second half of the twentieth century. Currently the digital and disruptive technologies are changing the scenario of drug discovery and development and producing efficacious and safe drugs. � Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021.