4. Introduction

The scientific study of new drugs is an important research activity that requires close cooperation between investigators in industry and in academia. Despite the relatively small size of the Canadian pharmaceutical market (3% of global drug expenditures), Canadian investigators have played a leading role in the development of new drug treatments for both peptic ulcer disease and inflammatory bowel disease. Since the development of a new drug may require 10 to 15 years of investment in research before a product reaches the market, and only one out of 8,000 substances initially tested in animal models can be expected to result in the development of a useful treatment in humans, this activity is both time-consuming and expensive. The goal of this chapter is to familiarize the reader with the activities necessary for the development of new drug treatments.