How does drug repurposing benefit those with autoimmune diseases?

Drug repurposing is a relatively new concept; that is, it emerged in the early 2000s but garnered attention during the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of drug repurposing is to speed up the drug discovery process by finding new uses for already existing drugs. An example of this idea being put to practice is when the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) found that a drug for autoimmune diseases and cancers, ruxolitinib, can ease symptoms of autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 1 (APS-1).

Repurposing drugs carries multiple advantages. For example, it can expedite the discovery of new treatments and lower medical expenses. According to Dr. Dajiang Liu, "New drugs are expensive to develop. If we can identify new uses for off-patent drugs, we can accelerate the drug discovery process, saving both time and money." Another advantage is the fact that the drugs are already on the market, meaning that it has been established that the drug is safe to use. Because of this, researchers can move directly to finding out the efficacy of the repurposed drug.

Dr. Dajiang Liu and his team are using this repurposing technique to help people with autoimmune diseases by finding drugs that will be more effective with fewer side effects. In fact, he already identified six potential drugs, one being hyoscyamine—a drug used to treat irritable bowel syndrome—that can possibly be used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. After identifying a potential drug, Dr. Dajiang Liu will need to take the drug to clinical trials to test for efficacy.

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