Drug Repurposing in Modern Pharmacology: A Strategic Review

Abstract

Drug repurposing, also known as drug repositioning, is the process of identifying new uses for existing medications beyond their original therapeutic indications. This approach has garnered significant interest in modern pharmacology due to its potential to reduce development timelines, costs, and the risks associated with traditional drug discovery. Drug repurposing leverages the vast amount of pre-existing data on drug safety and pharmacokinetics to identify new therapeutic applications for diseases with unmet medical needs. This review explores the strategies, methodologies, and successes of drug repurposing, with a particular focus on its applications in cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and infectious diseases. The review also highlights the challenges of the repurposing process and suggests future directions for its use in drug discovery.