abandoned drug infographic

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

Strategic partnerships

Drug re-

purposing

Effectiveness of drug and injection site

Effe

ctive

ness

(%)

0

20

40

60

80

Timepoint (day)0 1 2 3 4 5

Injection 1Injection 2

Adjust study protocol

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

Assess whether the off-target effects actually have a benefit

Optimize the clinical trials or look at other clinical end points Escape the black hole

Placebo Treatment

Cholesterol X XInfection X

Other endpointsProtein Gene

Receptor 1 X ✓Receptor 2 ✓ ✓

©2014, Created by Firhan Malik (firhan.malik@gmail.com)

Why are drugs abandoned?