4 kinds of candidates for drug repositioning

Because of the decline in drug launches, drug development companies are under increasing pressure to reduce costs and shorten development timelines through a range of different approaches.

These approaches include improving processes and protocols, moving more toward collaboration, and licensing and drug repositioning.

This weekend, I'll be posting a series of blogs on "drug repositioning.”  Also known as drug repurposing, drug reprofiling, or therapeutic switching, is the process of developing existing molecules for new indications.

Candidates for repositioning fall into four key groups, explains David Cavalla, Ph.D., founder of Numedicus:

1. marketed drugs that are still under patent or patents that have expired,
2. drugs that have moved through development and fallen at clinical or regulatory hurdles, and
3. stereoisomers or metabolites of existing compounds.
4. small change in the molecular structure — this provides stronger patent protection but still reduces the risk of failure.

Cavalla founded Numedicus in 2008 to provide collaborative services to companies seeking novel uses for existing drugs.

Read more in “Getting The Drug Repositioning Genie Out Of The Bottle” at www.lifescienceleader.com