As 2011 was winding down, the story of Australian stoke victim, Sam Goddard was still making the rounds on American television and in social media.  His fiancée, Sally Nielsen, discovered information on the internet about the use of Stilnox/Ambien, a prescription medication used for the short-term treatment of insomnia, as a way to help brain injury victims move out of their vegetative states.  The active ingredient in Stilnox is called Zolpidem - it is a sedative which acts as a central nervous system depressant that slows down the activities of the brain to be able to induce sleep.

Sally facilitated getting Sam the prescription for Stilnox, and adjusted the dosages which then allowed him to begin to communicate with the outside world.

There are many more details about Sam Goddard, his family, and Dr. Wally Nel and Dr. Ralph Claus, who are doing  studies on Stilnox and its effects on the brain.  While researchers work to catch up with what this all means and begin filtering it through the prism of evidence-based medicine, brain injury victims and their families are hopeful.  

Stilnox may or may not be a total rescue for brain injury victims. However, its undeniable results in this one case bear out the importance of the continuous exploration of drug rediscovery as a way to improve patients’ lives quickly and safely by repurposing existing drugs and treatments.

For more on this topic please click the links below:

http://rockcenter.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/28/9769951-stroke-victim-recovering-with-fiances-love-and-unconventional-ambien-treatment

http://sixtyminutes.ninemsn.com.au/blog.aspx?blogentryid=928199&showcomments=true

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2006/sep/12/health.healthandwellbeing

 

Partnerships for Cures is a nonprofit organization that supports Rediscovery Research™.  Many people are not aware of the positive impact on the lives of people with diseases that come as a result of Rediscovery Research.  A recent article posted in the Wall Street Journal by Amy Dockser Marcus speaks to the importance of Rediscovery Research, as well as the purpose of Partnerships for Cures.  The article entitled, “Surprising New Uses for Older Drugs; HIV Vaccine?” discusses several findings as a result of rediscovery research, with the focus being on the a recent discovery, repurposing the compound cyclodextrin.  Researchers were trying to develop a vaccine with cyclodextrin that will help HIV patients fight off HIV infection.  Other scientists are also testing the drug to see if it can help develop treatments for people with Alzheimer’s & Ebola virus.  What spurred this testing?  An email from the mother of twin daughters that have Niemann-Pick Type C disease, for which cyclodextrin had been prescribed.

Partnerships for Cures mission is to “rediscover” new uses for approved drug and devices.  We find clinicians, scientists, and even parents and patients who have some idea for a new use for a current drug based on their own experience.  We connect them with clinical researchers and find funders to support the research, to try to prove whether this Rediscovery Research will work for patients. 

Many people don’t know how often the serendipity of Rediscovery Research happens.  Partnerships for Cures has had a role in the repurposing of a number of drugs, including the drug Thalidomide, mentioned in Ms. Marcus’ article.  For example, Rogaine was initially used to lower blood pressure.  The more popular use for Rogaine today is to stimulate hair growth.  Another popular case is Viagra.  Initially Viagra was tested to treat angina (a chest pain that is the result of your heart muscle not getting enough blood), now it is used for erectile dysfunction.  Although there are many discoveries in the world to be made, the power of Rediscovery Research should not be overlooked.