Drug repurposing for stroke intervention

Abstract

Despite the availability of advanced interventions, stroke remains one of the most significant causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide. US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved treatment options for stroke include tissue plasminogen activators (tPAs) and mechanical thrombectomy (MT). However, these are limited by a narrow therapeutic time window. Additionally, poststroke rehabilitation therapies can provide functional recovery but take a long time to show benefits. Drug repurposing could be a novel approach to broaden treatment options in this scenario. In this review, we summarize marketed drugs that could be repurposed based on their safety and efficacy data. We also briefly discuss their mechanisms of action and provide a list of repurposed drugs under trials for ischemic stroke therapy.

Keywords: Conventional therapy; Drug development; Drug repurposing; Ischemic stroke; Mechanical thrombectomy; Recombinant-tissue plasminogen activator.