Pharma compounds at the crossroads

The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) has disclosed details about the first library of therapeutics in its Discovering New Therapeutic Uses for Existing Molecules program (see "Repurposing pharma compounds"). The compounds provided by the program's eight pharma participants have completed at least Phase I testing but did not reach registration for that indication and are available to researchers for experimentation. Although it is not yet clear how researchers will use the library, hints about potential therapeutic avenues can be gleaned from similar compounds in development and from highlights of translational research in the literature. A complete list of library compounds, compound data provided by the participating companies and details about the NIH/NCATS program are available on the agency's National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, Bethesda, Md.

National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md.