---
title: "Prodrugs Template – Chemistry Diagram | MolDraw"
url: https://www.moldraw.com/templates/medchem-prodrugs/
description: "Prodrugs template: Enalapril → enalaprilat, oseltamivir → oseltamivir carboxylate, codeine → morphine and valaciclovir → aciclovir, each with the activating…"
lang: en
publisher: Scidart Academy
generated: 2026-10-28
---
[MolDraw](https://www.moldraw.com/) › [Templates](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/) › [Medicinal chemistry](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/medicinal-chemistry/) › Prodrugs

[Medicinal chemistry](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/medicinal-chemistry/)Premium

# Prodrugs template

![Prodrugs template: Enalapril → enalaprilat, oseltamivir → oseltamivir carboxylate, codeine → morphine and valaciclovir → aciclovir, each with the activating enzyme on the arrow, the promoiety that is removed and the group it unmasks circled.](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/medchem-prodrugs.webp)

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Enalapril → enalaprilat, oseltamivir → oseltamivir carboxylate, codeine → morphine and valaciclovir → aciclovir, each with the activating enzyme on the arrow, the promoiety that is removed and the group it unmasks circled.

## What the template shows

- Inactive on the way in, activated in the body: the promoiety and the enzyme that removes it
- enalapril (prodrug)
- enalaprilat (active)
- oseltamivir (prodrug)
- oseltamivir carboxylate (active)
- codeine (prodrug)
- morphine (active)
- valaciclovir (prodrug)
- aciclovir (active)
- Activation steps
- promoiety removed
- group unmasked
- Enalapril → enalaprilat (ACE inhibitor)
- The diacid binds Zn²⁺ in ACE but is too polar to absorb (given i.v.); the ethyl ester masks one CO₂H.
- Oseltamivir → oseltamivir carboxylate (neuraminidase inhibitor)
- Oral bioavailability of the active acid ≈ 5%; as the ethyl ester about 80% reaches the blood as the carboxylate.
- Codeine → morphine (opioid)
- Only about 5–10% of a dose becomes morphine; poor metabolisers get little pain relief, ultra-rapid metabolisers risk overdose.
- Valaciclovir → aciclovir (antiviral)
- The L-valyl ester is carried in by the peptide transporter PEPT1: aciclovir bioavailability rises from 15–20% to about 55%.
- A prodrug is an inactive (or less active) derivative that is converted into the drug in the body, by enzymes or by chemistry.
- Esters are the commonest promoieties: they mask a polar CO₂H or OH to raise membrane permeability and oral absorption, and esterases are everywhere.
- An amino-acid ester can hijack a nutrient transporter (PEPT1 for valaciclovir).
- CYP-activated prodrugs inherit CYP variability: codeine’s effect depends on the patient’s CYP2D6 genotype.

Drawn with 176 atoms, 4 arrows, 26 shapes – every one editable in MolDraw.

## Sources

- [Patrick, An Introduction to Medicinal Chemistry, 6th ed., OUP 2017](https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780198749691) Textbook

## How to use this template

1. Press **Edit in MolDraw**. The template opens on the canvas of the free MolDraw editor.
2. Change anything: move structures, edit atoms and labels, recolour highlights or delete what you do not need.
3. Add your own structures, arrows and text next to it, or combine several templates on one page.
4. Export the drawing as PNG, SVG or PDF for slides, worksheets, theses and papers.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is the Prodrugs template free?

You can preview the Prodrugs template here and open and edit it in MolDraw for free. Downloading or exporting it is part of MolDraw Pro, together with the other premium templates.

### Can I edit the Prodrugs template?

Yes. It opens as an ordinary MolDraw drawing, so every structure, arrow, label and colour can be changed, and you can add your own content around it.

### Is the chemistry checked?

Every structure is checked with RDKit and every curly arrow passes MolDraw’s electron-flow audit. The sources used are listed on this page.

### Are the drug structures accurate?

Every structure is checked with RDKit, including its stereocentres, and the sheets follow the medicinal chemistry textbooks listed on each template page.

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