Nature Reviews Drug Discovery 8, 849 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrd2981

Author: David Cavalla

Drug repurposing, in which an established active pharmaceutical ingredient is applied in a new way — for example, for a new indication, and often combined with an alternative method of presentation, such as a novel delivery route — is an evolving strategy for pharmaceutical R&D.

Nature Reviews Drug Discovery 8, 879 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrd2972

Authors: Timothy N. C. Wells, Pedro L. Alonso & Winston E. Gutteridge

Despite being one of the most prevalent tropical diseases, for many years malaria was not a commercial priority for the pharmaceutical industry. However, in response to the emergence and spread of resistance to the available antimalarial drugs, there has been a renaissance in the discovery

Nature Reviews Drug Discovery 8, 854 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrd2960

Authors: Dominique Mazier, Laurent Rénia & Georges Snounou

Almost all the drugs that are widely used today against Plasmodium spp., the causative agent of malaria, target the asexual blood stages of the parasite. Widespread drug resistance severely restricts our ability to control malaria and makes it necessary to seek novel antimalarial compounds.

Nature Reviews Drug Discovery 8, 865 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrd2973

Authors: Pankaj Agarwal & David B. Searls

Drug discovery must be guided not only by medical need and commercial potential, but also by the areas in which new science is creating therapeutic opportunities, such as target identification and the understanding of disease mechanisms. To systematically identify such areas of high scientific activity,

Nature Reviews Drug Discovery 8, 892 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrd2999

Authors: Laura K. Chico, Linda J. Van Eldik & D. Martin Watterson

Protein kinases are a growing drug target class in disorders in peripheral tissues, but the development of kinase-targeted therapies for central nervous system (CNS) diseases remains a challenge, largely owing to issues associated specifically with CNS drug discovery. However, several candidate therapeutics that target CNS

Nature Reviews Drug Discovery 8, 841 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrd3026

Authors: Hedwig Kresse & Holger Rovini

The market for seasonal influenza vaccines, sized at US$2.8 billion in 2008–2009 across the seven major markets (United States, Japan, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and UK), has had a strong compound annual growth rate of 12.6% since 2005–2006 (Ref. 1). In recent years, the

Nature Reviews Drug Discovery 8, 843 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrd3027

Authors: Herbert Y. Meltzer, Argyris Dritselis, Uma Yasothan & Peter Kirkpatrick

In August 2009, asenapine (Saphris; Schering–Plough) was approved by the US FDA for the acute treatment of schizophrenia and manic or mixed episodes associated with bipolar I disorder in adults.

Nature Reviews Drug Discovery 8, 911 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrd3029

The translation of nanotechnology-based therapies and products from the laboratory to the clinic requires a multidisciplinary approach. Our two interviewees this month discuss their roles in bringing together diverse groups of scientists to achieve this goal.

Nature Reviews Drug Discovery 8, 848 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrd3032

Author: Sarah Crunkhorn

Bile acids, which contribute to the emulsification and digestion of lipid-soluble nutrients following a meal, are increasingly appreciated as also having important roles in metabolic signalling pathways. Writing in Cell Metabolism, Thomas and colleagues identify an agonist of G protein-coupled bile acid receptor 1

Nature Reviews Drug Discovery 8, 845 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrd3033

Author: Katie Kingwell

The ability of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to enter into a non-replicating state that is not strongly affected by standard antibiotics necessitates long treatment regimens, leading to poor patient compliance that can promote the emergence of drug-resistant strains. Reporting in Nature, Lin and colleagues show

Nature Reviews Drug Discovery 8, 847 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrd3034

Author: Alexandra Flemming

Tumours can avert an immune response and boost their own growth by inducing the expression of immunosuppressive, angiogenic and growth factors in neighbouring cells. Reporting in Nature Biotechnology, Kortylewski and colleagues now present a new strategy to alter the balance in the tumour microenvironment

Nature Reviews Drug Discovery 8, 846 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrd3035

Author: Monica Hoyos Flight

Identifying broadly neutralizing antibodies (BNAbs) against HIV, which recognize most manifestations of this highly mutable virus, is important in achieving the elusive goal of developing a viable HIV vaccine. However, although the BNAbs that have been identified are effective in primate models of HIV, they

Nature Reviews Drug Discovery 8, 847 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrd3036

Author: Charlotte Harrison

A recent paper in the Journal of Neuroscience has shown that inhibitors of histone deacetylases (HDACs) — enzymes that affect the acetylation status of histones and regulate the remodelling of chromatin — have antidepressant actions.Although currently used antidepressants rapidly modulate monoaminergic systems in

Nature Reviews Drug Discovery 8, 848 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrd3037

Antibacterial drugs

Nature Reviews Drug Discovery 8, 836 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrd3038

Nektar Therapeutics — a company focused on drug development based on advanced polymer conjugate technology — has announced a licensing deal with AstraZeneca for two compounds to combat opioid-induced constipation. Under the deal, Nektar will receive an upfront payment of US$125 million and up to

Nature Reviews Drug Discovery 8, 836 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrd3039

Merck has announced that the antagonist of the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor telcagepant has met the primary end points in two Phase III trials to treat migraine, which is characterized by attacks of intense throbbing head pain that can last from 4 to 72

Nature Reviews Drug Discovery 8, 837 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrd3040

Author: Michael Goodman

AVOS Life Sciences has analysed the revenue contributions of biologics and small-molecule drugs to the major Rx drug portfolios (MRDP) of the 14 large-cap pharmaceutical companies. MRDP is the collection of branded drugs that are each predicted to achieve at least US$500 million in annual

Nature Reviews Drug Discovery 8, 827 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrd3041

Unmet medical need and commercial potential are considered to be key drivers of novel drug discovery, but identifying disease areas for which scientific understanding is improving substantially could also have a valuable role in guiding the focus of R&D investment. In their Analysis article, Agarwal

Nature Reviews Drug Discovery 8, 829 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrd3042

An FDA initiative to enable companies to discuss options for future trial design following completion of early-stage trials could have an important role in addressing the high costs and failure rates of pivotal clinical trials.

Nature Reviews Drug Discovery 8, 831 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrd3043

Author: Bethan Hughes

With five novel oral therapies in late-stage development, there could soon be a wide range of treatment options for relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis, but better biomarkers are needed to more effectively address the challenge of treating progressive forms of the disease.

Nature Reviews Drug Discovery 8, 833 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrd3044

Author: Dan Jones

Phase III trial results for three anti-obesity therapies suggest that they meet at least some of the efficacy benchmarks for regulatory approval, although questions remain about the value of the benefits offered.

Nature Reviews Drug Discovery 8, 835 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrd3045

Mixed results for first delayed-start trial in Parkinson's diseaseA clinical trial that was designed to examine the possibility that rasagiline (Azilect/Agilect; Teva/Lundbeck) has disease-modifying effects in Parkinson's disease has shown varying results.The lowdown: To date, no treatments for Parkinson's disease have been

Nature Reviews Drug Discovery 8, 838 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrd3046

Author: Charlotte Harrison

Drug metabolite claims are patentableLaws of nature and natural phenomena are not patentable, but new useful processes or compositions are. So, where does a test that includes methods based on the measurement of drug metabolites fit in? Is drug metabolism a natural process? These

Nature Reviews Drug Discovery 8, 840 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrd3047

The President and Chief Executive Officer of the Austen BioInnovation Institute in Akron discusses the institute's multidisciplinary approach to innovation.