Introduction and Historical Overview of Drug Repurposing Opportunities

Abstract

Despite increasing investments and an improved understanding of disease, the pharmaceutical industry has failed to translate these into credible therapeutic outputs. This has resulted in a need for innovative approaches like drug repurposing to treat both common and rare diseases. Some of the earliest examples of repurposing relied on serendipity and retrospective clinical experience, leading to the successful repurposing of previously failed drugs such as thalidomide and sildenafil in multiple disease conditions. However, modern repurposing approaches tap into an ever-increasing wealth of drug- and disease-related data, computationally driven hypothesis generation and high throughput screening methods for the identification of newer uses for existing drugs. This book discusses some of the most widely used approaches in drug repurposing and the major stakeholders involved; it also highlights various challenges and suggests innovative solutions to take forward.