Anti-Cancer Potential of Some Commonly Used Drugs
1Department of Biotechnology, Jaypee Institute of Information Technology, NOIDA, U.P., India.
Abstract:
Cancer is a global concern leading to millions of deaths every year. A declining trend in new drug discovery and development is becoming one of the major issues among the pharmaceutical, biotechnology industries and regulatory agencies. New drug development is proven to be a very lengthy and a costly process. Launch of a new drug takes 8-12 years and huge investments. Success rate in oncology therapeutics is also low due to toxicities at the pre-clinical and clinical trials level. Many oncological drugs get rejected at very promising stage showing adverse reactions on healthy cells. Thus, exploring new therapeutic benefits of the existing, shelved drugs for their anti-cancerous action could result in a therapeutic approach preventing the toxicities which occurs during clinical trials. Drug repurposing has the potential to overcome the challenges faced via conventional way of drug discovery and is becoming an area of interest for researchers and scientists. Although very few in vivo studies are conducted to prove the anti-cancerous activity of the drugs. Insufficient in vivo animal studies and lack of human clinical trials are the lacuna in the field of drug repurposing. This review focuses on the aspect of drug repurposing for cancer therapeutics. There are various studies which show that drugs approved for clinical indications other than cancer have shown promising anti-cancer activities. Some of the commonly used drugs like Benzodiazepines (Diazepam, Midzolam), Antidepressants (Imipramine, Clomipramine, and Citalopram), Antiepileptic (Valporic acid, Phenytoin), Anti diabetics (metformin) etc., have been reported to show potential activity against the cancerous cells.
Insights
Drug repurposing offers a promising strategy to combat cancer by exploring existing medications for new anti-cancer benefits. This approach aims to reduce the lengthy timelines and high costs associated with traditional cancer drug discovery.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Pharmacology
- Drug Discovery
Background:
- Cancer represents a significant global health challenge, demanding innovative therapeutic strategies.
- Traditional new drug development is characterized by lengthy timelines (8-12 years), substantial costs, and a low success rate, particularly in oncology.
- High toxicity and adverse reactions in healthy cells frequently lead to the rejection of promising anti-cancer drug candidates during clinical trials.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the potential of drug repurposing as a viable strategy for cancer therapeutics.
- To highlight the advantages of repurposing existing drugs, including circumventing toxicity issues seen in novel drug development.
- To identify and discuss approved drugs for non-cancer indications that exhibit promising anti-cancer activities.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of existing studies on drug repurposing for cancer treatment.
- Identification of drugs approved for other clinical indications that have demonstrated anti-cancer potential.
- Analysis of reported anti-cancer activities of specific drug classes, such as benzodiazepines, antidepressants, antiepileptics, and antidiabetics.
Main Results:
- Numerous drugs approved for non-oncological conditions have shown significant anti-cancer activity in various studies.
- Examples include benzodiazepines (e.g., Diazepam), antidepressants (e.g., Imipramine), antiepileptics (e.g., Valproic acid), and antidiabetics (e.g., Metformin).
- These repurposed drugs offer a potential alternative to traditional drug discovery, potentially reducing development time and cost.
Conclusions:
- Drug repurposing presents a compelling approach to accelerate the development of novel cancer therapies.
- Further in vivo studies and human clinical trials are crucial to validate the efficacy and safety of repurposed drugs for cancer treatment.
- This strategy holds the potential to overcome the limitations of conventional drug discovery, offering new hope for cancer patients.
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