ABSTRACT
The clinical introduction of chlorpromazine in the treatment of psychotic patients is one of the best examples of repositioning drug in the history of pharmacology. The discovery of the antipsychotic properties of chlorpromazine has been presented by many authors as an example of serendipitous scientific discovery in which chance would have played a prominent role. This would explain the case of chlorpromazine as a paradigm of drug repositioning for nervous system diseases: a drug intended to be an antihistamine, which was studied as an adjuvant anesthetic, and eventually became an antipsychotic. Most, as the case of chlorpromazine, follow a pattern that begins with an initial serendipitous observation followed by investigations that led to a nonserendipitous discovery of clinical application. This chapter analyzes the historical development. Chlorpromazine is included in various protocols used to induce palliative sedation in terminally ill patients. Chlorpromazine is an effective and safe alternative for these patients.
