Drug Repurposing Patent Applications January-March 2025

Area of Science:

• Pharmaceutical Science
• Drug Discovery
• Medicinal Chemistry

Background:

• Drug repurposing offers a cost-effective strategy to identify new therapeutic applications for existing drugs.
• Patent applications provide insights into emerging trends and innovations in pharmaceutical research.
• The Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) facilitates global dissemination of novel scientific findings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and highlight significant drug repurposing patent applications published in Q1 2025.
• To identify unexpected therapeutic potentials of known compounds.
• To showcase the global landscape of drug repurposing research.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of fifteen selected drug repurposing patent applications from the PCT published in Q1 2025.
• Analysis of patent claims for novel therapeutic indications of existing drugs.
• Categorization of findings based on drug class and potential disease targets.

Main Results:

• Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants (sertraline, indatraline) show potential anticancer effects.
• Sitagliptin, a DPP-4 inhibitor, is proposed for glioblastoma treatment.
• Artemisinin derivatives may induce cell differentiation in myelodysplastic syndrome.
• Bucillamine is suggested for organophosphate poisoning treatment.

Conclusions:

• Emerging patent applications demonstrate significant innovation in drug repurposing.
• Existing drugs are being explored for novel applications across oncology, neurology, hematology, and toxicology.
• Research in drug repurposing is a global effort, with contributions from diverse international jurisdictions.