LAUSR

To the Editor: The process of developing a new drug involves significant investment and long research time, ranging from 10 to 15 years.1,2 Over time, there has been a reduction in the production of new drugs by laboratories and pharmaceutical companies, especially antimicrobial and antitumor drugs, because of the accelerated evolution of resistance to these compounds, in addition to the low profitability provided.3–6 Drug repositioning has emerged as an alternative approach, a promising health strategy in the treatment of various diseases.2,6,7 Drug repositioning, which involves researching compounds that are already used in clinical practice but with a new therapeutic indication, has become an active research field for their effectiveness when compared with the traditional process of developing new drugs.1,2,6 This process can prevent one-third of new drug searches from failing because of cytotoxic effects and another third of inefficiencies.8 In addition, it is a cost-effective, patientsafe, and agile process because efficacy and preclinical data are already known.1,2,6,7 Still, it can overcome significant challenges involving treatment and lack of resources, especially in the face of autoimmune diseases, multidrugresistant microorganism infections, and rare cancers.1,2 Repositioned drugs are being used in synergy with antibiotics to treat severe infections because they strongly increase antibacterial activity and generate less resistance.6–11