Worldwide Publication Trends of Drug Repurposing and Drug Repositioning in the Science of Medicine (2003-2022)

Background: Science of medicine in the post-genomic era has significantly enhanced the knowledge of human diseases. These advancements could shed light to the translation of these benefits into drug therapeutics. Drug repurposing is a strategy that plays a pivotal role to provide novel insights into disease biology and further drive drug discovery as the ultimate goal. Herein, the current study aimed to analyse the global trends of drug repurposing peer-review publications from 2003 until 2022. Methods: We retrieved 1.371 articles related to drug repurposing studies and used similar terms and keywords, including “drug repositioning”, “drug repurposing”, “drug reprofiling”, “drug reusing”, and “drug recycling”. Results: The number of drug repurposing publications has increased dramatically from 2003 through 2022. Besides, the most active country in publishing drug repurposing research is the United States, followed by China, India, the United Kingdom, and Italy, respectively. Meanwhile, the top five frequently used keywords are drug repurposing (n = 336), drug repositioning (n = 335), COVID-19 (n = 134), SARS-CoV-2 (n = 135), and molecular docking (n = 67). Conclusions: This study emphasizes the importance of conducting active research collaboration in drug repurposing and drug repositioning especially pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic.