Combinatorial chemistry is a technique used to rapidly produce large numbers of similar drug molecules to screen for new drugs more efficiently. It uses solid-phase synthesis with resins, monomers, and linkers under the same reaction conditions to generate compound libraries. This allows companies to increase their chances of finding novel therapeutic compounds and save time and money compared to traditional drug discovery methods. While efficiency depends on factors like compound size and solubility, combinatorial chemistry is expected to continue significantly impacting drug manufacturing.