drug repurposing

Illustration of human intestinal tract

Grant bolsters study of potential new therapy for C. diff infection

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2011 in the United States there were almost half a million Clostridium difficile infections, and one in 11 patients 65 or older with a healthcare-associated C. diff infection died within 30 days of diagnosis.

interior of home medicine cabinet

Study explores anti-viral potential of existing drugs

Emerging viral infections like Zika keep popping up around the world in such quick succession that medicine is having a hard time keeping up. It can take 15 years and more than a billion dollars to bring a new drug to market.

microscope

Initiative seeks to bolster ‘rediscovery research’

The Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (VICTR) is partnering with a public charity, Cures Within Reach, to encourage “rediscovery research,” the “repurposing” of already approved medical treatments to other conditions or diseases for which there are no “universally” effective therapies.

Team finds drug repurposing signal in e-health records

With research and development costs for many drugs reaching well into the billions, pharmaceutical companies want more than ever to determine whether their drugs already at market have any hidden therapeutic benefits that could warrant putting additional indications on the label and increasing production.

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