Leprosy drug to treat cancer? Doctors hunt for new uses of old medicines

NEW DELHI: Can a leprosy tablet priced at Rs 2 be the miracle cure to treat blood-cell cancer? Or can expensive injections given to treat osteoporosis in post-menopausal women be replaced with a pill that costs as little as Rs 100 for a month’s supply? These are questions Indian scientists have set out to answer as they look towards repurposing old drugs as affordable treatments for new diseases.At the Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI) in Lucknow, scientists recently found that certain leprosy drugs might help treat myeloma, a type of blood cancer.Sabyasachi Sanyal, a researcher at CDRI, in collaboration with the clinical haematology department of King George’s Medical University, Lucknow, screened FDA-approved drugs in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) cells and found that a leprosy drug—clofazimine, priced at Rs 2 per tablet—was a potent inhibitor of these cells.Cost of launching repurposed drug 85% less than that of a new oneSanyal’s colleague and chief scientist at CDRI, Lucknow, Dr Naibedya Chattopadhyay, screened a library of over 1,000 drugs with the aim to discover an oral substitute for teriparatide—an injectable given to women suffering from post-menopausal osteoporosis. “Our pre-clinical studies found that pentoxifylline, a drug prescribed for treatment of a disease of peripheral artery, when given to osteoporotic female rabbits mimicked effects of teriparatide, including restoration of bone mass, strength, micro-structure and quality,” Chattopadhyay told TOI.The cost of launching a repurposed drug is approximately 85% less than that incurred on launching a new drug, Chattopadhyay said, adding, “Strategic repurposing of old drugs for new uses can save time as their pharmacology formulation and potential toxicity are already available.”Doctors at AIIMS, New Delhi, are also conducting clinical trials on repurposed drugs. Dr Kameshwar Prasad, professor of neurology at AIIMS, recently wrote to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to set up a task force to identify and validate low-cost alternatives to expensive drugs. He said doctors were already prescribing cheaper therapies.For instance, a single cycle immune therapy for treatment of Guillain-Barre-Syndrome, an acute inflammatory disorder of the peripheral nervous system, currently costs between Rs 3 lakh and Rs 8 lakh.

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