How Phenolic Based Compounds can be increase productivity in the Pharmaceutical Industry

Drug development is a strenuous, expensive, and time-consuming process in the US. In recent years, pharmaceutical productivity has decreased, resulting in a lower number of new drugs being synthesized every year. It is important that pharmaceutical companies continue to innovate and create new drugs and not stagnate on old methods and processes, although this has proven difficult as the cost and time for developing a drug has increased. A potential solution to increase the diversity and productivity of the pharmaceutical industry could be the shifting of resources and research in developing more drugs based on phenolic compounds. These compounds are composed of phenols with at least one hydroxyl group. Comparisons were drawn between drugs developed from traditional reactions and sources to drugs of similar purpose that were based on phenolic compounds. Furthermore, a litany of sources about the drug development process was explored, in order to examine how this potential shift of course could be immensely beneficial. Overall, drugs created from phenolic compounds have been shown to have the same efficacy and effectiveness as traditionally produced drugs, with a myriad of benefits, namely in the areas of cost, toxicity, and ease of creation. Drugs from phenolic compounds can be a viable source of innovation and a way for the pharmaceutical industry to develop cheaper and more easily tested drugs.