Rationale and benefit of using high throughput solubility screens in drug discovery

Over the past several years, drug companies have dedicated significant resources to address the ‘biopharmaceutical properties’ bottleneck that is recognized as a major source of high attrition rates and longer development times for new drugs. Although it is well accepted that aqueous solubility is a crucial physicochemical parameter that directly influences the passive absorption and distribution of orally administered drugs, there is less agreement about the effective measurement and strategic use of solubility data, especially in the earlier stages of the drug development process.

Section editors:Charles L. Crespi – BD Biosciences, Woburn, MA, USAKenneth E. Thummel – University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA