Discovery of New Drug Therapies Based on the Study of Adverse Reactions

The document from 1989 discusses the potential of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) to lead to the discovery of new drug therapies, emphasizing the role of chance in drug development. It cites the example of minoxidil, originally for hypertension but later used for hair regrowth, and clonidine, which transitioned from a nasal decongestant to an antihypertensive agent. It also mentions how aspirin's side effect led to the recognition of its antithrombotic properties and how sulfonamides led to the development of diuretics and oral hypoglycemic agents. The article advocates for the use of ADR databases as a resource for identifying new uses for existing drugs and highlights the importance of being receptive to the unexpected benefits of ADRs in the drug discovery process.