Drug Repurposing: Mechanisms, Strategies, Challenges, and Future Perspectives in Modern Drug Discovery

Abstract

Drug repurposing is an emerging strategy in the drug discovery arena, shedding light on new therapeutic uses for already known drugs. This strategy enormously reduces the time and cost of drug development because it avails existing data on safety and efficacy. This review provides basic mechanisms, strategies, and challenges related to drug repurposing. Here we discuss the role of polypharmacology, potential off-target effects in the use of computational and experimental methods for identifying repurposing opportunities, and regulatory and ethical considerations in drug repurposing. In addition, we emphasize the importance of public-private partnerships in advancing this field. Completed cases demonstrate that this approach works effectively across various therapeutic areas, from oncology to rare diseases. Challenges include regulatory and clinical data needs. Drug repurposing is extremely promising for the rapid delivery of new treatment to patients while collaborating in the development of a more sustainable healthcare system. Deepening knowledge of biological systems and disease mechanisms will allow for drug repurposing to potentially revolutionize new treatments and patients' outcomes.