Final answer:
In summary, new drug development involves three main phases: discovery or synthesis, preclinical testing for toxicity and manufacturability, and rigorous FDA-approved clinical trials to ensure safety and efficacy.
Step-by-step explanation:
The development of new drugs is indeed a complex process that generally involves three main phases: the discovery or synthesis stage, the preclinical testing stage, and the clinical trial stage. After the initial discovery or synthesis, a chemist may modify the drug's chemical structure, perform tests to check for toxicity, and design methods for large-scale manufacturing. Following these initial steps, the drug approval process begins, which in the United States is overseen by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This entails conducting large-scale experiments with human subjects to ascertain that the drug is safe and effectively treats the condition it targets. This phase can take several years and requires the collaboration of chemists, physicians, and scientists to perform testing and secure FDA approval.