Question

What is drug repurposing and its advantages? Explain with four examples.

Hint:

Drug repurposing accelerates drug discovery and provides a cost-effective way to treat various diseases, utilizing already known medications.

Answer 1

Drug repurposing (also known as drug repositioning) refers to the process of identifying new therapeutic uses for existing drugs that are outside the scope of their original medical indications. This approach leverages the known safety profiles of existing drugs, thus reducing the time and cost required to bring them to market for new indications.
Step 1: Advantages of Drug Repurposing:
1. Cost-Effectiveness: Since the drugs have already undergone clinical trials, the development costs are significantly lower compared to new drug discovery.
2. Faster Time to Market: With known safety and pharmacokinetic data, drugs can be repurposed more quickly, reducing the time to reach patients.
3. Higher Success Rate: Given the extensive clinical data available for repurposed drugs, the likelihood of failure during later stages of development is lower.
4. Better Patient Access: Repurposing drugs for new indications allows for faster treatment options for patients with unmet medical needs.
Step 2: Four Examples of Drug Repurposing:
1. Sildenafil (Viagr: Originally developed to treat angina, sildenafil was later repurposed to treat erectile dysfunction and pulmonary hypertension.
2. Thalidomide: Initially used as a sedative, thalidomide was repurposed for the treatment of multiple myeloma and leprosy-related complications.
3. Minoxidil: Initially developed as a treatment for high blood pressure, minoxidil was later repurposed for hair regrowth in the treatment of baldness.
4. Raloxifene: Developed to treat osteoporosis, raloxifene was also repurposed as a preventive treatment for breast cancer in postmenopausal women.