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The National Institutes of Health
(NIH) announced it is partnering with Pfizer Inc., AstraZeneca Plc., and Eli
Lilly and Co. to find new uses for 24 existing drug compounds.
All the compounds have been shown to
be safe, but they were shelved for being ineffective against the diseases they
were developed to treat. Drugmakers typically spend $2 billion and 14 years
bringing medicines to market. In the past, dozens of drugs that were originally
developed for one disease have been repurposed for another - usually by chance.
For example, AZT (azidothymidine) was approved in the 1960s to treat cancer but
abandoned for lack of efficacy. It later became the first effective treatment
for HIV.
NIH will spend $20 million annually
for researchers to find new uses for the 24 compounds. “We need to speed the
pace at which we are turning discoveries into better health outcomes,” said Dr.
Francis Collins, the agency’s director. “The idea here is not to depend on
serendipity.”
Scientists who discover a new use
for a compound will be eligible for royalty payments if the drug reaches the
market, while the pharmaceutical firm will hold the patent rights. The names of
the 24 compounds in the pilot project will be disclosed next month, NIH said.
“NIH looks forward to working with
our partners in industry and academia to tackle an urgent need that is beyond
the scope of any one organization or sector,” Collins said.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
