R&D READING
From screening to medicine: how evidence accumulates
Candidate discovery, validation, clinical research, regulatory review and post-marketing monitoring answer different questions along one development path.
Discovery is not a promise
A target hypothesis, a molecular hit or an in-vitro result is early evidence, not a conclusion about a medicine. Development teams repeatedly test whether a biological signal can be reproduced, whether a candidate can be delivered as a suitable product and whether its safety margin supports further work.
Clinical studies answer defined questions
A clinical study is designed around a specified population, endpoint and method. Its findings need to be read with the design, sample, comparator and authorised indication in view. A single paper or news headline cannot establish benefit for every population or use.
Approval is followed by more records
After marketing authorisation, labels, safety information and regulatory communications can change. A medicine record should preserve a timeline and source links rather than treat one approval event as the final answer.
PRIMARY REFERENCE
Source evidence
Each entry identifies its market, document type, access mode and most recent review date. Public access does not make a document applicable to every market or person. Read the review method.
- FDA: The Drug Development Process ↗reviewed 2026-08-20