Wonder Drugs: One Name for Many Maladies
- Jackie Lochridge
- 4 hours ago
- 2 min read
What are these versatile treatments?
Recent excitement around GLP-1 medications has brought about interest in health benefits outside of the intended weight control and blood glucose effects. Doctors and researchers have noticed positive effects on other health conditions like chronic kidney disease, even without weight loss. There are quite a few examples of drugs with benefits reaching beyond the initially studied or approved use, and many are still used in an "off-label" fashion, meaning they are not approved for a use but have proven benefits and are prescribed
Other medications with unintended positive effects on a condition other than the intended target include: minoxidil, originally approved to reduce blood pressure, has become a common treatment for hair loss (it's the active ingredient in Rogaine); atenolol is used off-label for stage anxiety to stabilize the hands of musicians under pressure, but is approved for high blood pressure and chest pain; and more recently, injectable medication Dupixent has been approved for conditions ranging from esophageal conditions to COPD after its initial approval for a skin condition.
Why are these drugs versatile?
Many additional approvals and off-label uses are based on observation. Positive effects are often related to how the medication works. Sometimes the effects of altering a certain pathway aren't expected (like how a heart medication calms the nerves and steadies the hands), and sometimes diseases share features that make the medication a good option to try. For example, injectable Keytruda was initially approved for a certain type of skin cancer, and has gained approval for an addition 19 cancers.
Why are versatile drugs important?
In addition to revealing new information about how diseases and the body work, drugs with multiple uses can help reduce costs by using already approved generics to achieve the same outcomes as an expensive new drug. In certain cases, a single drug may help a patient with multiple conditions (e.g. , avoiding dangerous interactions that may occur if multiple drugs were needed.
Creating new drugs with the intention of treating multiple conditions has become much more common as science has advanced. Researchers now focus on the ways that a single pathway or process can affect multiple diseases. This approach also helps to bring down the cost to develop new therapies.
References
Gonzalez-Rellan MJ, Drucker DJ. The expanding benefits of GLP-1 medicines. Cell Reports Medicine. 2025;6(7):102214. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xcrm.2025.102214
Castaneda R. 8 Medications That Treat Multiple Conditions. US News & World Report. Published March 19, 2017. https://health.usnews.com/wellness/slideshows/8-medications-that-treat-multiple-conditions
Stewart J. Keytruda Approval History. Drugs.com. Published 2020. https://www.drugs.com/history/keytruda.html
Bloomgarden Z. Advantages of Medications That Treat Multiple Conditions. AJMC. Published May 27, 2016. https://www.ajmc.com/view/advantages-of-medications-that-treat-multiple-conditions
Carroll J. One Drug, Many Uses. Biotechnology Healthcare. 2005;2(5):56. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3570995/
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