Redirection to the Drug Discovery: Antidiabetic Drugs Repurposing in Cancer

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death on a global scale. Increased technological advancements and a better understanding of human neoplastic disease make it possible to lower the mortality rate from cancer through drug discovery. However, in addition to the new drug design, the efficacy, toxicity, pharmacokinetic, and pharmacodynamic characteristics of the new molecular entity need to be appraised. It has taken much more time than anticipated and insurmountable costs. As a result, there is a need for some alternative options for drug discovery that might save time and cost. Because of pre-existing data on safety, pharmacokinetics, and manufacturing, drug repurposing is proposed to be a faster method of developing novel pharmaceuticals. In addition, this is one of the best alternative options for meeting the expanding healthcare demand. It is estimated that around one-third of the recently approved drugs are repurposed drugs. However, a few challenges need to be addressed before proceeding with the repurposing. The present chapter coveres different approaches, strategies, and challenges of drug repurposing. The chapter lists the number of clinical trials conducted or completed based on drug repurposing. We also focused on the current literature reports that cited developing drug delivery systems for repurposed drugs to overcome the delivery challenges.