The significance of stereochemistry in therapeutic action is outlined and elucidated. Often only one isomer is therapeutically active, but this does not mean that the other is really inactive. It may very well contribute to the side-effects. The therapeutically non-active isomer in a racemate should be regarded as an impurity (50% or more). It is emphasized how in clinical pharmacology, and particularly in pharmacokinetics, neglect of stereoselectivity in action leads to the performance of expensive "highly sophisticated scientific nonsense". This also holds true in the development and marketing of new drugs as exemplified by various "pseudo-hybrid" drugs now reaching the clinic.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.