Foye's Principles of Medicinal Chemistry

From The Critics

Reviewer: Michael R. Borenstein, PhD(Temple University School of Pharmacy)
Description: This update of a comprehensive, clinically focused textbook of medicinal chemistry contains many new agents while retaining the same overall organization of the 2008 edition. It is well suited for a pharmacy curriculum, offering students a clinical significance section and clinical vignettes in most chapters.
Purpose: The main purpose is to present modern notions of drug discovery, which include the concept of optimizing lead compounds by using rational techniques. This is very important in light of the monumental changes occurring in the pharmaceutical industry and the increased reliance on academia as a source of new compounds for the amelioration of disease. The book meets this challenge.
Audience: The authors, experts in the field of medicinal chemistry and pharmacy education, wrote this book with pharmacy students in mind.
Features: Following an introduction to drug discovery and its relation to absorption, metabolism, and physiochemical and biopharmaceutical properties of drugs, each of the book's subsequent three parts addresses particular drug classes. The division of subjects is rational and informative. Of particular note is the last section on disease state management with particularly unique coverage of women's and men's health. It is here that students can see the clinical application of a diverse group, such as gonadal steroids. The clinical vignettes and clinical significance explanations throughout the book are unique and important. The book's main shortcoming (not for me, however), as with many detailed tomes, is its sheer size.
Assessment: This is still the gold standard against which all other medicinal chemistry books must be judged. It is content rich, yet attempts to relate the discipline to modern clinical practice. It is comprehensive and accessible, and an excellent resource for students as well as professionals seeking to update their knowledge. The addition of the clinical significance sections alone justifies replacing the previous edition.

From the Publisher

"This is still the gold standard against which all other medicinal chemistry books must be judged. It is content rich, yet attempts to relate the discipline to modern clinical practice. It is comprehensive and accessible, and an excellent resource for students as well as professionals seeking to update their knowledge. The addition of the clinical significance sections alone justifies replacing the previous edition."

 

 - Doody Enterprises, Inc. (June 2012)

   - Michael R. Borenstein, PhD(Temple University School of Pharmacy)

 

Collin A. Hovinga

This first edition CD-ROM is a review of the physiochemical properties of various key compounds studied in most medicinal chemistry courses. Classic chapter reading is supplemented by illustratations using quiz-type case studies. The goal is to teach and review a difficult subject in an innovative manner to encourage learning and concept retention. The material delivered in the CR-ROM is presented at a level intended by the editors and is appropriate to undergraduate science students as well as professional ones. The outlined chapters are well summarized and the editors explain concepts well (SAR, acid-base properties, and drug metabolism). The case studies are good and complement the text. Unfortunately, the use of computer technology tools such as graphics, hypertext, and sound is limited and defeats some of the enthusiasm for learning that might be attained. There are also many typographical errors in various sections of the software. Currently there are few products to compare. Overall the basic material is good, but the software is limited in delivery, both because the editors fail to use the strengths of computer technology and because it contains many typographical errors. Still, these properties do not limit the ultimate utility of the CD-ROM. Software like this is greatly needed in higher education and the editors may wish to improve in a second edition.

Judy L. Bolton(University of Illinois at Chicago C Medicine)

This is a reference book on medicinal chemistry with contributions from a variety of experts in the field of drug design and mechanism of action. The purpose is to present a clear account of the variety of drugs and the means by which they exert their physiological effects. Overall, the book achieves its purpose, although the size of the book indicates the complexity of the field. The book is targeted toward pharmacy students taking medicinal chemistry. Again, the detailed treatment of several topics may be more than necessary for the average student; however, this book will be an excellent reference aid for these pharmacy students as future practitioners. Diagrams and charts are clearly presented. The appendix on pKa values for numerous drugs is particularly useful for predicting interactions with receptors, formulations, and pharmacokinetics. The index is detailed, allowing for easy access to specific information. This fourth edition represents a comprehensive analysis of the subject. Chapters are organized by drug type, and every effort is made to include all recent information on mechanism of action. For the most part references are current and appropriate however, some areas such as anticonvulsants have not changed much since the third edition. In contrast, the drug metabolism chapter has been updated considerably and this chapter contains a thorough review of the recent advances in this field. Several new topics have been included in this edition including molecular modeling, pharmaceutical biotechnology, biopharmaceutical properties of drug substances, and approaches to anti-AIDS agents. The font and diagrams are larger than the previous edition, making the book easier to read.Overall, I highly recommend this textbook to pharmacy students, graduate students in medicinal chemistry, and researchers in the field.

From The Critics

This text's first section, on principles of drug discovery, is designed for a one-semester course. Parts II and III, on pharmacodynamic agents and recent advances in drug discovery, are written for an integrated course or courses in pharmacodynamics and pharmacotherapeutics. New features to this fifth edition include an overview of the drug development process for the perspective on an industrial research scientist, and additional chapters on antisense drugs and gene therapy. Williams teaches chemistry at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Lemke is professor of medicinal chemistry at the University of Houston. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

3 Stars from Doody