Polypharmacology in a Single Drug: Multitarget Drugs

Title:Polypharmacology in a Single Drug: Multitarget Drugs

Volume: 20 Issue: 13

Author(s): M. L. Bolognesi

Affiliation:

Keywords: Multifactorial diseases, Combination therapy, multitarget drug discovery, network pharmacology, multitargetdirected ligands, designed multiple ligands

Abstract: Polypharmacology offers a model for the way drug discovery must evolve to develop therapies most suited to treating currently incurable diseases. It is driven by a worldwide demand for safer, more effective, and affordable medicines against the most complex diseases, and by the failures of modern drug discovery to provide these. Polypharmacology can involve combinations and/or multitarget drugs (MTD). Although not mutually exclusive, my premise is that MTDs have inherent advantages over combinations. This review article focuses on MTDs from a medicinal chemistry perspective. I will explore their use in current clinical practice, their likely application in the future, and the challenges to be overcome to achieve this goal.

Cite this article as:

L. Bolognesi M., Polypharmacology in a Single Drug: Multitarget Drugs, Current Medicinal Chemistry 2013; 20 (13) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/0929867311320130004