The document summarizes the typical drug discovery process in 6 steps:
1) Discovery and screening of 10,000-20,000 candidate drugs through high-throughput screening and target validation.
2) Lead optimization through combinatorial chemistry and structure-based drug design.
3) Testing for absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET).
4) Clinical trials in humans.
5) New drug application (NDA) approval by regulatory agencies.
6) Marketing of an average of 1 new drug.