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GEN Poll

Jun 05, 2012

Drug Repurposing

How successful will NCATS' new pilot program prove in reviving at least some shelved compounds?

Very

29.0%

Somewhat

38.7%

Not Very

29.0%

Undecided

3.2%

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On June 12, NIH’s National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) will disclose its list of molecules for repurposing under a joint agency-industry pilot program. The initiative, Discovering New Therapeutic Uses for Existing Molecules, was announced last month. Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Eli Lilly have agreed to allow researchers to study some of their shelved compounds, in hopes of advancing the understanding of various disease mechanism as well as finding new indications. Additional pharma companies may join, increasing the number of shelved compounds available for study.