The FDA's outlook on drug repurposing

By Dr Nicola Davies

Drug repurposing involves the use of existing drugs for new indications.1 Repurposed drugs include not only previously approved drugs but also clinically failed and investigational drugs.2 Traditionally, the development and regulatory approval of a new drug involves a lengthy and expensive process, with a low rate of success.3 Therefore, drug repurposing can be an efficient and low-cost alternative to novel drug development.

Here, we examine the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) outlook on drug repurposing and provide examples of drugs that have been recently approved by the FDA for new indications.