Book excerpt: This book covers all aspects of the medicinal chemistry of the latest drugs, and the cutting-edge science associated with them. Following the editors’ 3 successful drug synthesis books, this provides expert analysis of the pros and cons of different synthetic routes and demystifies the process of modern drug discovery for practitioners and researchers. Summarizes for each drug: respective disease area, important properties and SAR (structure-activity relationship), and chemical synthesis routes / options Includes case studies in each chapter Illustrates how chemistry, biology, pharmacokinetics, and a host of disciplines come together to produce successful medicines Explains the advantages of process synthesis versus the synthetic route for drug discovery