Glossary
Carcinogenicity The capacity to cause cancer
or increase the risk of developing cancer
Clinical end-point A clinical measure used to
determine the effect of an intervention (e.g. mortality rate after
a heart attack)
COX-2 inhibitor A drug that acts to reduce the
action of the enzyme cyclo-oxygenase-2, which produces natural
substances that cause or enhance inflammation
Evergreening Tactics used to extend
the duration of a drug's patent
Herceptin Drug used to treat breast
cancer. Generic name trastuzumab
Human Genome Project A long-term project to identify
all the genes present in human DNA. Coordinated by the US Department
of Energy and National Institutes of Health, with major input
from the UK and other countries, the project was completed in
2003.
Iatrogenic illness Ill-health induced by
the use of medicines
Life-cycle management Activity carried out to
ensure a drug remains protected by its patent for as long as possible
Naturalistic setting A clinical environment that
closely mirrors routine practice or normal life
Orphan drugs Medicines used to treat patients
with rare diseases, for which no sponsoring company could be found
under normal commercial conditions because of a small potential
market.
Pharmacovigilance The process of detecting and
assessing unwanted effects of medicines once they are on the market
Suicidality Suicidal feelings, thoughts
or actions
Surrogate end-point A measure that is used as
a substitute for a clinically meaningful outcome
Venous thromboembolism A blood clot in the veins
that breaks off and subsequently lodges in (and usually blocks
off) vessels at a distant site
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