Alejandro Schcolnik-Cabrera, Daniel Juárez-López and Alfonso Duenas-Gonzalez* Pages 2085 - 2099 ( 15 )
Complex common diseases are a significant burden for our societies and demand not only preventive measures but also more effective, safer, and more affordable treatments. The whole process of the current model of drug discovery and development implies a high investment by the pharmaceutical industry, which ultimately impact in high drug prices. In this sense, drug repurposing would help meet the needs of patients to access useful and novel treatments. Unlike the traditional approach, drug repurposing enters both the preclinical evaluation and clinical trials of the compound of interest faster, budgeting research and development costs, and limiting potential biosafety risks. The participation of government, society, and private investors is needed to secure the funds for experimental design and clinical development of repurposing candidates to have affordable, effective, and safe repurposed drugs. Moreover, extensive advertising of repurposing as a concept in the health community, could reduce prescribing bias when enough clinical evidence exists, which will support the employment of cheaper and more accessible repurposed compounds for common conditions.
Drug repurposing, drug discovery and development, pharmaceutical companies, common diseases, repurposed compounds, Gene-chemical Structure-target Networks.
Departement de Biochimie et Medecine Moleculaire, Universite de Montreal, C.P. 6128, Succursale Centre- Ville, Montreal, QC, Posgrado en Ciencias Biologicas, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico; Av. Ciudad Universitaria 3000, C.P. 04510, Coyoacan, Ciudad de Mexico, Division de Investigacion Basica, Instituto Nacional de Cancerologia, Ciudad de Mexico 14080