This revised third edition has been updated to cover all aspects of chiral drugs from the academic, governmental industrial and clinical perspective reflecting the many advances in techniques and methodology. The title will cover new material including the use of enzymes for the synthesis and resolution of enantiomeric compounds as well, as their use in drug discovery; how stereochemistry impacts on decisions taken during the ADMET (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, toxicity) stage of drug discovery; issues faced during the final stages of the drug development process; the impact of ICH (International Conference on Harmonisation) on the use of single isomer drugs; racemic switches; and legal perspectives looking at IP and patent issues surrounding chiral switches and marketing single enantiomer switches.

This Third Edition comprehensively presents all aspects of chiral drugs from scientific, academic, governmental, industrial, and clinical points of view. This one-stop text covers the lifespan of stereochemistry, from its early history, including an overview of terms and concepts, to the current drug development process, legal and regulatory issues, and the new stereoisomeric drugs.

New topics include:

• The use of enzymes in the synthesis and resolution of enantiometrically pure compounds in drug discovery
• How stereochemistry impacts decisions made in the Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion, and Toxicity (ADMET) stages of drug discovery
• A chapter on pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics that discusses the issues faced during the final stages of the drug development process
• The impact of International Conference on Harmonisation on the use of single isomer drugs
• Chiral switches
• The concept of molecular chiral recognition and how it affects the separation and behavior of stereochemically pure drugs
• A chapter on the legal perspectives of patent issues surrounding chiral switches and the marketing of single enantiomer switches
• This will be a one-stop shop for pharmaceutical scientists and chemists working with chiral drug molecules