Analog Design as useful Strategy for Molecular Modification and Drug Design

Abstract

A drug whose physical structure is related to that of another drug. Although they have similar physical properties, analogs can have very different chemical and biological properties. Analog design is usually defined as the modification of a drug molecule or of any bioactive compound in order to prepare a new molecule showing chemical and biological similarity with the original model compound. Analog design is a fruitful procedure, easy to practice, and very popularly employed in pharmaceutical research from the beginning. Particularly, from the second half of the twentieth century, the production of very sophisticated molecules such as steroids, prostaglandins, anticancer drugs, and antibiotics became available and considerable advances could be made in medicinal chemistry. Analog design represents two‐third of all small molecule sales. Among the 29 new drugs launched in 2000, 24 were copies.