ABSTRACT
The discovery and development of drugs for Central Nervous System (CNS) diseases has one of the lowest success rates. This chapter presents a systematic review of repurposing of drugs in the CNS area and adopt the following terminology: repurposing of a molecule consists in finding new therapeutic uses for an already known drug; reformulation consists in developing different formulations for the same drug; a new combination consists in developing a single product that combines at least two drugs previously used separately. Except cilostazol and indobufen, cardiovascular drugs repositioned for the CNS were at source either antihypertensive, antiarrhythmic, or both types of drugs. Drug repurposing in the CNS is a very active approach to drug development as half of the identified cases are drugs still in development. The high prevalence of CNS disorders and the high unmet needs in this area call for novel policies and developments that can remove the inefficiencies of this strategy.
