No Time to Waste: Real-World Repurposing of Generic Drugs as a Multifaceted Strategy Against COVID-19.

ABSTRACT: Real-world drug repurposing-the immediate "off-label" prescribing of drugs to address urgent clinical needs-is an indispensable strategy gaining rapid traction in the current COVID-19 crisis. Although off-label prescribing (ie, for a nonapproved indication) is legal in most countries, it tends to shift the burden of liability and cost to physicians and patients, respectively. Nevertheless, in urgent public health crises, it is often the only realistic source of a meaningful potential solution. To be considered for real-world repurposing, drug candidates should ideally have a track record of safety, affordability, and wide accessibility. Although thousands of such drugs are already available, the absence of a central repository of off-label uses presents a barrier to the immediate identific

SUBMITTER: Rogosnitzky M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7954442 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jan-Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature