Book excerpt: The Art of Drug Synthesis illustrates how chemistry, biology, pharmacokinetics, and a host of other disciplines come together to produce successful medicines. The authors have compiled a collection of 21 representative categories of drugs, from which they have selected as examples many of the best-selling drugs on the market today. An introduction to each drug is provided, as well as background to the biology, pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, and drug metabolism, followed by a detailed account of the drug synthesis. Edited by prominent scientists working in drug discovery for Pfizer Meets the needs of a growing community of researchers in pharmaceutical R&D Provides a useful guide for practicing pharmaceutical scientists as well as a text for medicinal chemistry students An excellent follow-up to the very successful first book by these editors, Contemporary Drug Synthesis, but with all new therapeutic categories and drugs discussed.