Intellectual property and other legal aspects of drug repurposing

Although drug repurposing involves many disciplines to address the technical, medical, regulatory and marketing hurdles for development and commercialization, intellectual property (IP) and other legal matters should not be neglected. Strategies that include IP and legal input can transform an apparently nonviable drug repurposing project into a success. Conversely, a drug repurposing strategy that overlooks appropriate IP and legal analysis might miss significant value opportunities or even result in significant legal liability. Accordingly, a proper drug repurposing project should have expert legal counsel to advise on these issues.