Table 1.

Selection of typical technical risks encountered in drug discovery

Type	Risks
Biochemistry, cell biology	No suitable assay for high-throughput screening or compound profiling
	Lack of cell permeability
Chemistry, biotechnology	No chemical or biological matter identified in HTS or other lead-finding approaches
	Lack of synthetic or biotechnological accessibility
	Insufficient solubility
	Limited potential for intellectual property
	High cost of goods
Pharmacology, pharmacokinetics	Insufficient potency on target
	Lack of exposure: limited bioavailability, rapid metabolization, unsuitable tissue distribution
	Limited in vivo efficacy
Safety	Potential for drug-drug interactions: CYP450 inhibition or induction
	Adverse effects in standard safety tests (e.g., hERG, genotoxicity)
	Toxicity