title: Novel insight into drug repositioning: Methylthiouracil as a case in point.
abstract: Drug repositioning refers to the development of existing drugs for new indications. These drugs may have (I) failed to show efficacy in late stage clinical trials without safety issues; (II) stalled in the development for commercial reasons; (III) passed the point of patent expiry; or (IV) are being explored in new geographic markets. Over the past decade, pressure on the pharmaceutical industry caused by the 'innovation gap' owing to rising development costs and stagnant product output have become major reasons for the growing interest in drug repositioning. Companies that offer a variety of broad platforms for identifying new indications have emerged; some have been successful in building their own pipelines of candidates with reduced risks and timelines associated with further clinical development. The business models and platforms offered by these companies will be validated if they are able to generate positive proof-of-concept clinical data for their repositioned compounds. This review describes the strategy of biomarker-guided repositioning of chemotherapeutic drugs for inflammation therapy, considering the repositioning of methylthiouracil (MTU), an antithyroid drug, as a potential anti-inflammatory reagent.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Medicine, CMRI, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 700-422, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Moon-Chang
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Baek
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy, CMRI, Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 702-701, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Byeongjin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy, CMRI, Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 702-701, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hyejin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: ABRC, CMRI, School of Life Sciences, BK21 Plus KNU Creative BioResearch Group, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 702-701, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hyun-Shik
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy, CMRI, Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 702-701, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: baejs@knu.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Jong-Sup
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Bae
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D013956:Antithyroid Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000188:drug therapy; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D004318:Doxycycline / Q000494:pharmacology; D055808:Drug Discovery; D058492:Drug Repositioning / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D004893:Erythema Nodosum / Q000188:drug therapy; D048049:Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D061307:Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells; D006801:Humans; D018973:Intellectual Property; D015440:Leprosy, Lepromatous / Q000188:drug therapy; D008779:Methylthiouracil / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010518:Periodontitis / Q000188:drug therapy; D054497:Phospholipases A2, Secretory / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D013792:Thalidomide / Q000494:pharmacology; D014657:Vasculitis / Q000188:drug therapy
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D013956:Antithyroid Agents; D015415:Biomarkers; D013792:Thalidomide; D048049:Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases; D054497:Phospholipases A2, Secretory; D004318:Doxycycline; D008779:Methylthiouracil
keywords: Anti-inflammatory reagent; Drug repositioning; Methylthiouracil; sPLA(2)-IIA