Modelling and simulation in clinical drug development

Pharmaceutical companies are under greater pressure than ever before to imp rove the R&D process. There is a growing need to increase productivity in R &D, and to use technologies that can both increase and more efficiently fac ilitate the flow of products through the development pipeline. This article describes how the twin processes of modelling and simulation are being use d to improve the efficiency of the clinical drug-development process, and c onsequently how these methodologies have delivered significant benefits in the drive to save time, money (and additionally assisted in ensuring an 'op timal quality' drug label) in the development of novel therapeutic agents.