About the book

Various compounds with pronounced pharmacological activity have been playing a dynamic and ever-growing role in the treatment of fatal infections such as typhus, influenza, typhoid, and malaria for a very long time and have saved the lives of millions of people. However, drug resistance is turning into one of the major problems that are rapidly getting attention synchronically with other essential dilemmas with which humankind encounters, such as a quickly growing population, scarcity of food, and environmental concerns. To cope with the growing challenge of drug resistance and to improve the quality of life, we must either synthesize novel biomedical agents or thoroughly analyze and advance the currently used drugs. It is important to mention that new medicines should be cost-effective as well as with none or almost no side effects. Besides, the stability and solubility in water and other liquids present in the human body are also important factors to be taken into account for increasing their efficiency against harmful parasites and other disease-provoking agents. One of the relatively facile and highly effective approaches to meet these requirements is the modification of existing drugs via co-crystallization with various agents, with the formation of numerous co-crystals with smaller molecules, including those of different solvents such as water and alcohols. Despite its relative easiness, when employing this approach numerous factors such as (weak) intermolecular interactions should be taken into account, because they can significantly affect structures and properties of the target co-crystals and, as a result, properties and potential applications of the drugs of interest.