Drug repurposing: re-inventing therapies for cancer without re-entering the development pipeline—a review

Abstract

While majority of the current treatment approaches for cancer remain expensive and are associated with several side effects, development of new treatment modalities takes a significant period of research, time, and expenditure. An alternative novel approach is drug repurposing that focuses on finding new applications for the previously clinically approved drugs. The process of drug repurposing has also been facilitated by current advances in the field of proteomics, genomics, and information computational biology. This approach not only provides cheaper, effective, and potentially safer drugs with less side effects but also increases the processing pace of drug development. In this review, we wish to highlight some recent developments in the area of drug repurposing in cancer with a specific focus on the repurposing potential of anti-psychotic, anti-inflammatory and anti-viral drugs, anti-diabetic, antibacterial, and anti-fungal drugs.