CHAPTER 23:The Chemical Development and Medicinal Chemistry Interface

As a molecule progresses from discovery into clinical development, drug discovery chemists will hand over their development candidate and its synthetic route to a chemical development group. The quality of that handover can have a big influence on the speed of the early development program and therefore the commercial value of the target or new chemical entity. This chapter will try and convey the considerations and thoughts that go through the minds of the chemical development scientists when confronted with a new molecule, and how medicinal chemistry can ease this transition at little or no extra cost with a little thinking ahead. The chapter will highlight how efficient chemistry is the single biggest success factor, and tell-tale signs of potential issues with synthetic routes are highlighted, and an ongoing dialog between medicinal chemistry and chemical development scientists is encouraged.