A New Approach to Repurposing: Ditch the Hypotheses
This article was originally published in Start Up
Executive Summary
By pulling together 35 publicly available gold-standard animal models, Melior Discovery has built a stable of what it calls privileged compounds. The repurposing company augments its VC funds with service deals and is aiming to progress its lead compound into Phase I studies in 2007.
You may also be interested in...
OsteoCorp Inc.
The class of drugs called beta-blockers--long used for heart disease and migraines--also prompts an increase in bone mass. OsteoCorp will repurpose beta blockers to build bone in the treatment of conditions like bone cancer and osteoporosis.
APT Pharmaceuticals Inc.
When Novartis made clear its intention to acquire Chiron in 2005, a potentially important therapy for lung transplant patients was squeezed out by a numbers game. The drug candidate was an inhaled version of the immunosuppressant cyclosporine, and in a trial it had dramatically improved survival in lung transplant patients. Now, APT Pharmaceuticals takes over where Novartis left off, and it's preparing for a Phase III trial of the lung transplant drug.
The Value of Drug Repositioning: Longer Patent Life
According to Gene Logic, there's value in failed Phase II candidates-so long as safety's not the problem. The company claims that repositioning a compound in a new indication creates an asset worth 27% more, in net present value terms, than an equivalent in-licensed drug.