Can old drugs learn new tricks? Achieving registration and public subsidy listing for off-patent medicines with novel therapeutic applications.

Jonathan Brett, Dilara Bahceci, Wendy Lipworth, Paul Liknaitzky, Ric O Day, Anthony Rodgers

Abstract read

In one paragraph

Article in Internal medicine journal, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

1citing papers in PubMed

–field-weighted citation impact

1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

Trial protocol of an open-label pilot study of oralBMJ open · 2025
Article

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Jonathan BrettDepartment of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, St Vincent's Hospital Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-3065-7495

Dilara BahceciThe George Institute for Global Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-9265-9798

Wendy LipworthDepartment of Philosophy, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Paul LiknaitzkyDepartment of Psychiatry, School of Clinical Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Ric O DayDepartment of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, St Vincent's Hospital Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-6045-6937

Anthony RodgersThe George Institute for Global Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Funding

Centre of Research Excellence in Medications Intelligence 1196900NHMRC 1196560

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

With the increasing costs of drug development, repurposing of low-cost medicines for new indications has never been more important. However, there are multiple barriers to repurposing, particularly for off-patent medicines, and limited incentives for the pharmaceutical industry to sponsor registration and public subsidy listing. Here, we explore these barriers and their consequences and provide examples of successful repurposing strategies.

Indexed as

Drug CostsNonprescription DrugsCosts and Cost AnalysisDrugs, GenericHumansDrugs, GenericNonprescription Drugsgenericmedicineoff-labeloff-patentrepurposing

Identifiers

PMID37409815

DOI10.1111/imj.16159

PMCPMC10947264

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata

LicenceCC BY

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.