Hyderabad: New uses of old drugs are supported by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as they are helping in curing cancer for which it was not originally meant, according to a study published in JAMA.
Drugs like tyrosine kinase inhibitor imatinib was meant for treatment of diseases related to chromosomes but it is found helping the treatment of leukemia and other cancers.
Researchers found that old drugs can be put into clinical trials for diseases like cancer. They observed that old drugs also have generics forms hence it becomes easier for alternative medical uses.
These are additional benefits of re-using old drugs which save cost. In old drugs, the clinical trials can be started immediately. Strabismus and others are used for treatment of cervical dystonia, cosmetic uses and chronic migraine.
The researchers observed that due to the high cost of new molecules it has become important to check whether old drugs can be re-used.
