Design and syntheses of new (as well as more efficient existing) drugs is a continuous challenge due to development of drug resistance in disease causing germs. One way to improve the efficiency of drugs is to introduce fluorine (or fluorinated groups) in the drug molecule. The incorporation of fluorine into a drug molecule can lead to improved metabolic stability, bioavailability, as well as enhanced binding efficacy when compared to the non-fluorinated analogue. Consequently, ∼20−25% of all pharmaceuticals on the market contain fluorine, and almost all of the new drug candidates have fluorine in them in one form or the other. Commonly used fluorinated drugs include ciprofloxacin (antibiotic) and fluconazole (antifungal). The latest drug to treat Hepatitis C “sofosbuvir” also contains fluorine in it.
