This presentation describes the application of novel high throughput physical-chemical technologies to the pharmaceutical discover and development process. The rationale for such platforms is described in light of the changes that have occurred in the biological and chemical processes leading to drug target evaluation and lead identification. Several high throughput platforms are described for identification and evaluation of solid forms and formulations of drug candidates including salt, hydrate and solvate selection and polymorph discovery and evaluation. The application to the development of oral and intravenous formulations for animal model and human clinical evaluation is also discussed. The importance of informatics to design experiments and capture and analyze data is highlighted. Examples are described showing the power of high throughput systems to discover knowledge that enables pharmaceutical scientists to make more informed and better decisions about product development choices. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.