A review: treatment of Alzheimer's disease discovered in repurposed agents.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Many compounds that have already been approved for alternate diagnoses have been studied in relation to Alzheimer's disease (AD). The purpose of this review is to summarize these studies and discuss the rationale and benefits of repurposing drugs for AD treatment. METHODS: Studies of drugs related to AD treatment that were relevant to a disease-modifying mechanism of action (MOA) and are already approved by the Food and Drug Administration for non-AD diagnoses were collected from PubMed. RESULTS: Many drugs already approved for the treatment of other diseases have been studied in relation to AD treatment. Numerous drugs with known toxicity profiles have the potential to be repurposed as a treatment for AD. CONCLUSION: Known MOA, toxicology, and pharmacodynamic profiles would accelerate the process and increase the odds of finding a more timely disease-modifying treatment for AD.