Drugs Behind Ozempic and Wegovy Are Being Repurposed — Here Are 5 Others
In 1957, a German pharmaceutical company introduced Thalidomide, a drug intended to combat anxiety and insomnia. It was widely – incorrectly – believed to be safe during pregnancy, and many European doctors recommended it for morning sickness.
In the United States, a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reviewer had doubts and denied approval. His appeal proved right, and in 1961 thalidomide was withdrawn from European markets for causing thousands of serious birth defects, according to a report published in Wiley.
But this was not the end of Thalidomide. It was later approved to treat certain cancers like multiple myeloma as well as skin lesions associated with Hansen’s disease. Thalidomide is not the only drug making a comeback. Many other drugs have also been reused.
“A drug used for one disease proves useful for another. For example, many anti-inflammatory drugs have been found useful in treating cancer patients,” said Catherine H. Schein, professor in the department of biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. Discover.
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What is reused medicine?
Pharmaceutical companies spend up to $2 billion and 15 years developing drugs, but most never make it to market, according to a report in Advances in molecular biology and translational science. Less than 10 percent receive FDA approval due to safety or effectiveness concerns.
So if a drug is approved, it pays for companies to find other uses, according to a study published in Advances in pharmacological and pharmaceutical sciences. GLP-1 receptor agonists like Ozempic and Wegovy, for example, were initially approved to treat diabetes. More recently, they have received the green light to treat other pathologies.
“It would have been difficult, even five years ago, to predict that a drug requiring regular injections, including [side] The effect is nausea and avoidance of food, reportedly so successful in a variety of areas, from weight loss to alcohol and drug therapy,” Schein told Discover.
Although Wegovy has become a household name, many other lesser-known drugs have also been repurposed. Here are a few others:
1. Minoxidil (Loniten)
Original use: Hypertension (1979)
Reused use: hair loss
Minoxidil was introduced in pill form and worked by widening blood vessels and reducing blood pressure. Unwanted hair growth was an unwanted side effect that alerted scientists to the potential of minoxidil to treat hair loss, according to a report published in Drug design, development and therapy. In 1988, the FDA approved a topical formulation for the treatment of male pattern baldness. Approval to treat hair loss in women followed in the 1990s.
2. Dupilumab (Dupixent)
Original use: Eczema (2017)
Repurposed Use: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Asthma, Nasal Polyps.
Dupilumab blocks the alpha subunit of the interleukin-4 receptor. With the immune response under control, people with eczema can benefit from skin healing. For people with asthma, the medication may reduce lung inflammation and improve breathing. Reduced inflammation can also tame nasal polyps and help relieve congestion, according to a report published in StatPearls.
3. Cariprazine (Vraylar)
Original use: Treatment of schizophrenia (2015)
Repurposed Use: Bipolar Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder
Cariprazine is an antipsychotic that regulates brain chemistry, particularly dopamine and serotonin levels. Rather than completely blocking dopamine and serotonin signaling, it helps stabilize these systems when activity is too high or too low. For people with bipolar disorder or major depressive disorder, balancing compounds may reduce the extreme effects that lead to mania or the lows that cause depression, according to research findings. CNS spectra.
4. Azidothymidine (AZT)
Original use: Cancer treatment
Repurposed use: antiretroviral against HIV/AIDS (1987)
In 1964, scientists at the National Cancer Institute developed a compound that would later be known as AZT, but as Journal of Pharmaceutical Knowledge and Research so delicately described, he “failed.” Researchers reexamined AZT in the 1980s during the AIDS epidemic and found that it prevented the virus from replicating, according to the NIH. In 1987, AZT was the first AIDS treatment to receive FDA approval. AZT has had many serious side effects, and although it is still used today, it is part of combination therapy with other antiretroviral drugs.
5. Risankizumab-rzaa (Skyrizi)
Original use: Plaque psoriasis (2019)
Repurposed Use: Psoriatic arthritis, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis.
Risankizumab-rzaa takes a more targeted approach to curbing the production of inflammatory cytokines by inhibiting interleukin-23. For people with psoriasis, this may mean fewer skin lesions. People with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis may experience less intestinal inflammation, according to a study published in Springer Nature.
This article does not offer medical advice and should be used for informational purposes only.
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