How To Navigate Drug Repurposing And Bridging Studies

By Barbara Binzak Blumenfeld

Drug repurposing is not a new concept. However, the COVID-19 pandemic prompted many companies to consider whether a drug approved for one indication had a place in doctors’ and pharmacists’ armamentarium of treatment options for an emerging disease. The antiviral medication Remdesivir, originally developed to treat hepatitis C, was one of the most high-profile repurposed drugs to emerge during the pandemic, receiving both an emergency use authorization and an approval from the FDA for the treatment of COVID-19 patients.