Words by GOLD newsdesk
A toolkit to help navigate the sometimes tricky journey of medicines repurposing has been launched by medical research charity LifeArc and the Medical Research Council (MRC).
This free, online repurposing medicines toolkit will help pharma, researchers and charities prepare for any potential challenges and important questions that may need to be addressed at each development stage, ensuring research can be done swiftly and patients can access life-changing treatments as soon as possible.
The toolkit has been developed in consultation with scientific, industrial and regulatory experts, and signposts users to a wealth of existing information, including tips on demonstrating safety and efficacy, the regulatory environment, patient engagement and more.
“Repurposing medicines offers exciting potential for bringing life-changing new treatments to patients with common and rare diseases, much faster,” said Dr Joanna Davidge, Principal Business Manager, LifeArc. “While the path to patients will be unique for each project, the new toolkit will provide useful guidance to support charities, researchers and others embarking on a repurposing journey. It will help them to navigate the potential roadblocks and find ways to overcome them – helping to improve the likelihood of potentially life-changing medicines reaching the people who need them.”
Additionally commenting on the toolkit’s release was Professor Patrick Chinnery, Clinical Director, MRC, who said: “Having learned the challenges of repurposing first hand, I think this toolkit is enormously practical and valuable. The major opportunities presented by repurposing are speed, so medicines can reach patients faster, and lower costs, which is needed both within the NHS and lower-income countries.”