Distinguished scientists and members of the medicalprofession discuss the research and development of safe andsuitable drugs for the long-term treatment of chronicdiseases. The book provides an up-to-date survey on newinsights and technologies - as well as ethicalconsiderations - , since traditional means and methods ofdrug research and drug development may no longer suffice tomeet the challenges of the next century.

History and Philosophy of Bayer Pharmaceutical Research

Science, Responsibility, and Society
Opening Remarks
Message of Greeting
I. Unresolved Problems of Chronic Diseases
Demographic and Epidemiologic Trends Today
Atherosclerosis and Coronary Heart Disease
Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Modell of Chronic Inflammation
Alzheimer's Disease
Obstructive Lung Disease
Biological Approaches to Cancer Therapy
Challenges and Obstacles hi Clinical Evaluations of Therapy
Problems, Pitfalls, and Opportunities in Long-term Randomized Trials
The Impact of Clinical Trials on Clinical Practice
Panel Discussion I: Cost Effectiveness of Drug Development and Health Economics
II. Advanced Technologies, Scientific Achievements
Receptors and Messengers
Low Density Lipoproteins and Hypercholesterolemia
Leukotrienes in Airways and Blood Vessels
Drug Design
Opening Remarks
Thoughts About Gene Regulation and Mammalian Development
Protein Crystallography and Drug Design
Applying Engineering Principles to the Design of Cellular Biology
Analytical Pathophysiology and Biochemistry
Opening Remarks
Neurotransmitters in the Brain
Mechanisms of Cancer Metastasis
Panel Discussion II: Objectives of Basic Research and Predictive Value Preclinical Testing
The Patient as a Subject to Medical Research
Ethics of Drug Research and Drug Development
The Functions of Ethical Committees
Reduction of Risk to Patients Through Optimized Planning of Clinical Drug Development
The Quality of Life of Hypertensive Patients in Long-term Studies
Panel Discussion III: Who is Concerned with Patient Welfare in Research?
Concluding Remarks.