FDA Develops Analytic Models to Identify Risk of New Street Drugs

The FDA’s Division of Applied Regulatory Science has developed two quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models to assess the potential for a drug — including emerging street drugs — to breach the blood-brain barrier based solely on its chemical structure.

QSAR modeling “reveals associations between structural characteristics or properties and biological or toxicological activities under the general assumption that similar chemical structures display similar activities,” the agency said, making it possible to predict the drug’s “toxicological/pharmacological potential.”

The models are particularly useful in determining “if newly emerging drug substances on the street-drug market are a risk to public safety,” the agency said, noting that this approach was used to evaluate fentanyl derivatives and kratom alkaloids.

The models are also useful for pharmaceutical companies to identify novel therapeutics that target central nervous system disorders.

Related Topics