Extensive pharmacological and medicinal chemistry research demonstrates that the chemical structure of a drug directly influences its biological activity, binding affinity, and potency. Minor modifications to molecular scaffolds can significantly alter therapeutic efficacy.
The retrieved papers overwhelmingly support the well-established principle in medicinal chemistry that structure-activity relationships (SAR) govern drug potency. Multiple studies across diverse drug classes—including anti-virals, antimicrobial peptides, kinase inhibitors, opioids, and proteasome inhibitors—consistently show that changes to a molecule's chemical structure directly impact its potency and biological activity. No papers refute this relationship.