Starter quiz
- Which is the best description of a drug?
Sam: "Drugs are tablets that have a positive effect on the body."
Andeep: "Drugs are illegal substances that have an effect on the body."
Sofia: "Drugs are chemicals that have an effect on the body." ✓
Lucas: "Vaccinations are drugs that help protect us from disease."
- True or false? All diseases are caused by pathogens.
- True
- False ✓
- Unwanted effects from drugs are called ...
- side effects. ✓
- desired effects.
- effectiveness.
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- Cells that can develop into other types of cell are called ______.
- 'stem cells' ✓
- Which of the following are painkillers?
- paracetamol ✓
- fungicide cream
- vaccines
- antibiotics
- aspirin ✓
-
- What does toxicity mean?
- something that you shouldn't ingest
- how poisonous or harmful something is ✓
- something that will definitely kill you
-
Exit quiz
- True or false? Plants can be a source of new medicines.
- True ✓
- False
- Put the stages of drug trialing in the correct order.
- 1⇔The drugs are tested using computer models and skin cells grown from stem cells.
- 2⇔The drugs are tested on animals.
- 3⇔The drugs are tested on a small number of healthy individuals.
- 4⇔The drugs are tested on people with the illness.
- What does optimum dose mean?
- The highest amount of a drug that can be taken.
- The least amount of a drug that can be taken.
- The average amount of a drug taken by patients.
- The amount of a drug to take to be effective but minimise harm. ✓
-
- A treatment that appears to be real but has no therapeutic benefit is called a ______.
- 'placebo' ✓
- Which of the following are true of a blind trial?
- The doctor knows who has taken the drug and who has taken the placebo. ✓
- The patient knows if they have taken the drug or the placebo.
- The doctor doesn't know who has taken the drug and who has taken the placebo.
- The patient doesn't know if they have taken the drug or the placebo. ✓
-
- Why are double blind trials carried out?
- to determine the cost of the trial
- to reduce bias from the doctor and the patient ✓
- to ensure nobody knows how many people are involved in the trial
- to ensure the placebo is working
- to establish effectiveness in computer models
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Worksheet
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Plants and microorganisms provide new medicines; many others are synthesised in labs to target pathogens and host cells.
- Preclinical trials: the medicine is tested for safety and effectiveness on cultured human cells and on live animals.
- Clinical trials: the medicine is tested for safety in people without the disease.
- Clinical trials: the medicine is tested for safety and effectiveness in people with the disease.
- Use of placebos in clinical trials, and use of blind and double blind trials prevent to bias in the results.
Common misconception
Pupils often do not realise that drugs are tested on healthy individuals first.
Healthy individuals are used as they will not have symptoms that interfere with the side effects from the drug.
Keywords
Safety - State of being not likely to be in danger, risk or injury.
Effectiveness - The degree to which something is successful.
Side effect - An undesirable effect of a medicine or treatment.
Placebo - A treatment or substance designed to have no therapeutic value.
Bias - Inclination or prejudice for or against one person or group, especially in a way considered to be unfair.
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