New drugs are not enough‑drug repositioning in oncology: An update

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Pharmacology
• Drug Discovery

Background:

• Drug repositioning identifies new therapeutic uses for existing drugs.
• This strategy offers advantages in cost and speed due to established drug profiles.
• Oncology is a key area for drug repositioning research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review prominent examples of drug repositioning in cancer treatment.
• To analyze the primary uses, anticancer mechanisms, and development status of repositioned drugs.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of drug repositioning in oncology.
• Analysis of drug characteristics: efficacy, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and toxicity.
• Categorization based on primary use, proposed anticancer mechanisms, and development stage.

Main Results:

• Identified several successful drug repositioning cases in cancer therapy.
• Detailed the diverse anticancer mechanisms of these repositioned agents.
• Summarized the current clinical development status for each example.

Conclusions:

• Drug repositioning is a viable and efficient strategy for developing novel cancer therapies.
• Understanding mechanisms and development status is crucial for successful repositioning.
• Further exploration of drug repositioning holds significant promise for oncology.