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Drug Repurposing Hypothesis Generation Using the "RE:fine Drugs" System
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Drug repurposing in cardiovascular diseases: Opportunity or hopeless dream?

Paolo Gelosa1, Laura Castiglioni1, Marina Camera2

  • 1Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.

Biochemical Pharmacology
|March 7, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Drug repurposing offers a cost-effective strategy to combat cardiovascular diseases, the leading global cause of death. This review explores existing drugs for new cardiovascular applications, improving treatment options and safety.

Area of Science:

  • Pharmacology
  • Cardiovascular Medicine
  • Drug Discovery

Background:

  • Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the primary cause of mortality and morbidity globally, necessitating improved therapeutic strategies.
  • Balancing treatment efficacy with side effects remains a significant challenge in managing CVDs.
  • Existing pharmacological options require enhancement to address unmet clinical needs in cardiovascular medicine.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the evidence for repurposing established drugs for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs).
  • To explore the mechanisms of action and clinical outcomes of repurposed drugs in CVD treatment.
  • To highlight drug repurposing as an innovative approach to expand the cardiovascular drug armamentarium.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic review of existing literature on drug repurposing in cardiovascular diseases.
  • Analysis of pharmacological mechanisms of action for repurposed agents.
  • Evaluation of evidence from observational studies and randomized controlled trials.

Main Results:

  • Drug repurposing has demonstrated efficacy and safety in human studies for various indications.
  • Repurposing approved drugs for CVDs offers a faster and more cost-effective development pathway.
  • Evidence suggests repurposed drugs can provide viable treatment options with improved therapeutic profiles.

Conclusions:

  • Drug repurposing presents a promising and efficient strategy to address challenges in cardiovascular disease pharmacotherapy.
  • This approach can accelerate the availability of novel treatments for CVDs, improving patient outcomes.
  • Further investigation into repurposed drugs can significantly enhance the pharmacological tools available for cardiovascular medicine.

Keywords:
Cardiovascular diseasesDrug repurposing

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