Forecasting Drug Effects in Man from Studies in Laboratory Animals

Abstract

Experiments on animals are the most important source of data for predicting the effects of administering a new drug to patients. Nevertheless, the predictive value of such experiments is limited. In the present retrospective study of 6 drugs of different types, it is shown that many of the most serious side effects that can result when a drug is given to man were not predictable from observations on dogs or rats. From an initial list of signs of toxicity that could occur in man, 39 physical signs were retained that could also be observed in the dog or the rat, or both. Analysis showed that effects on man could be predicted better from observations on dogs than from those on rats.