SCYNEXIS' Repurposing Of APIs Plays A Significant Role In An Innovative Approach To Cancer Treatment

The “repurposing” of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) is an approach towards accelerating the drug development process that has received significant interest in recent months. This practice, also called drug repositioning, rediscovery, or reusing, consists of taking marketed drugs or drug candidates and developing them for a different indication than originally intended. Drug repurposing has grown 300% since 2001, according to Thomson Reuters, which is not surprising since in 2012 alone the practice is believed to have generated approximately $20 billion in sales.

Drug repurposing is not a new concept in the pharmaceutical industry. One of the best known and successful examples is Viagra. Although it was initially developed for angina treatment, the drug was found to be ineffective. However it was later marketed to take advantage of a well-known beneficial side effect that had arisen during the initial clinical trials. Viagra has since become a worldwide blockbuster drug that last year brought Pfizer nearly $2 billion in sales.