Repurposing of Drugs for Cardiometabolic Disorders: An Out and Out Cumulation

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Metabolic Disorders
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Cardiometabolic disorders (CMD) are a leading cause of global mortality, encompassing conditions like insulin resistance, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, obesity, and dyslipidemia.
• These diseases contribute significantly to deaths from cardiovascular events such as myocardial infarction and heart failure.
• Developing new drugs for CMDs faces challenges including high costs and low success rates.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the potential of drug repositioning as a viable strategy for addressing cardiometabolic disorders.
• To highlight the advantages of drug repositioning over traditional new drug development (NDD).
• To provide examples of repositioned medications for cardiometabolic disorders.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on drug repositioning strategies.
• Analysis of the benefits of drug repositioning, including cost-effectiveness and reduced timelines.
• Identification and discussion of successful examples of drug repositioning in the context of CMDs.

Main Results:

• Drug repositioning presents a cost-effective and time-efficient alternative to NDD for cardiometabolic disorders.
• The established safety profiles of existing drugs minimize risks associated with repositioning.
• Pharmaceutical companies are increasingly adopting drug repositioning due to its favorable economics and success rates.

Conclusions:

• Drug repositioning is a promising avenue for developing novel therapeutic indications for existing medications in cardiometabolic disorders.
• This strategy can accelerate the availability of effective treatments for a major global health burden.
• Further research and investment in drug repositioning for CMDs are warranted.