An Overview of Current Strategies and Future Prospects in Drug Repurposing in Tuberculosis

The document highlights the urgent need for new strategies to combat tuberculosis (TB), particularly due to the rise of drug-resistant strains. Drug repurposing is presented as a promising approach, offering cost-effective and expedited treatment options. Successful examples include fluoroquinolones, clofazimine, and meropenem. The document also discusses the combination of clavulanate and meropenem, and the repurposing of linezolid and clofazimine for drug-resistant TB. Host-directed therapies like verapamil and metformin are noted for enhancing immune responses. Bioinformatics and in silico approaches are crucial for identifying repurposing candidates, with drugs like entacapone and tolcapone identified for TB. The role of big data, network-based methods, and structural proteomics in drug discovery is emphasized. Additionally, polypharmacology and nanotechnology-based approaches are highlighted for their potential to reduce toxicity and improve treatment efficacy. Overall, these strategies aim to reduce treatment duration, prevent drug resistance, and discover new therapeutic options for TB.