Resurrection and reincarnation: giving abandoned drugs new life Receptor 1 Receptor 2 Abandoned drug: a drug that is no longer supported by the pharmaceutical company; a company can stop drug development at any stage How can an abandoned drug be given a new life? Receptor 1 Receptor 2 Compare downstream pathways Off-target or non-specific: all drugs have effects they are not supposed to, but the secret is balancing desired vs. undesired Failed clinical trials: 95% of drugs fail to be effective in humans (Source: Nature journal) Cost is insurmountable: development of one new drug can cost $350 million to $5 billion; if no chance to recoup, then it becomes a black hole expenditure Placeb o Treatmen t Cholestero l X X Infection X Protein Gene Receptor 1 X ✓ Receptor 2 ✓✓ ©2014, Created by Firhan Malik ([email protected]