Big news! A skin drug has been shown to be wildly effective for one of the deadliest conditions on the planet.   Dupixent, a drug initially developed for atopic dermatitis, has now been repurposed for COPD, a deadly lung disease that is one of the leading causes of death for people all around the world. I was excited about this news for a number of reasons:   1. All of the patients who are suffering with COPD are going to benefit from this dermatitis drug. 2. It highlights that drugs can help multiple conditions. In this case, the drug is still on patent. So there's still an incentive for this drug company to find its use in additional diseases. But unfortunately there are many drugs that are off patent, which means there aren't these incentives to find more uses for them.   3. It shows that when you systematically look for more uses for drugs, you can find them, even if you would never make the connection between a skin disease and a lung disease.   What other conditions would you like to see benefit from repurposed drugs? #MedTwitter

Castleman Drug Repurposed to Treat Severely Ill COVID Patients. During the COVID pandemic, it was discovered that severely ill patients often experienced a cytokine storm, similar to Castleman Disease. Researchers in China found that tocilizumab, originally developed for Castleman in the 90s and later used for rheumatoid arthritis, was highly effective for these COVID patients. This is a perfect example of how one drug can target a common element in diverse diseases. It makes you question what other cures are hiding in plain sight. @EveryCure #MedTwitter