Researchers have identified a number of regularly prescribed medications that might be used to treat people with diabetes and obesity. The medications, which will be discussed at the International Congress on Obesity in Melbourne this weekend, include therapies for stomach ulcers and heart rhythm problems. They were found with the help of advanced computer tools. Baclofen, a muscle relaxant, and carfilzomib, a chemotherapy drug, were considered as prospective therapies for obesity. The study found cardiac glycosides, which are prescribed to treat heart failure and heart rhythm abnormalities, as well as palbociclib, which is used to treat breast cancer, as prospective diabetic therapies. Repurposing current medications to address new disorders is a treatment strategy that is gaining popularity for conditions including diabetes. Since the safety of these medications will have already been investigated during their first pharmaceutical studies, bringing them to market should take less time and money.
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