Epidemiology plays a critical role in various stages of drug development:
- Identifying Disease Burden: Epidemiologists assess the prevalence and incidence of diseases to identify unmet medical needs. - Target Population: Determining the characteristics of the population that will benefit most from the drug. - Risk Factors and Co-morbidities: Understanding these helps in designing clinical trials and determining inclusion/exclusion criteria. - Outcome Measures: Epidemiological studies help define appropriate endpoints and outcomes for clinical trials. - Safety Monitoring: Ongoing epidemiological surveillance helps in identifying adverse effects and understanding the drug’s risk-benefit profile.
