The implementation of drug repurposing into standard cancer care isn’t obvious. Due to the lack of commercial prospects, the use of ‘old’ drugs for new indications is typically not considered ‘sexy’ or innovative. That’s why Ciska Verbaanderd, PhD student at the University of Leuven and associate of the Anticancer Fund, wrote a doctoral thesis on the topic. She aimed to bridge the gap between clinical research and practice in cancer drug repurposing. She clearly formulated recommendations to address the challenges.

• Support data sharing and open science initiatives in drug repurposing

• Promote independent clinical research with repurposed medicines

• Develop a collaborative framework to bring new uses of drugs on-label

• Introduce legal changes and create incentives to encourage new uses on-label