Pharmacology of marine drugs: Pattern-, purpose- and prudence-driven innovations

The marine environment in an underexplored but promising source of new drugs. Indeed, during the past decades, drugs of marine origin have been gradually added to the list of clinically approved medications, especially for the treatment of cancer. Previously, we have reviewed the contributions the typically extended and convoluted journeys from discovery to development of marine drugs have brought to pharmacology. Therein, we discussed the five successful anticancer marine drugs that were then in clinical use following a half-century long collective process. Still, the last few years have seen new paradigms being established among marine pharmacology, resulting in approval of five new drugs and an attempt to repurpose an “old” one. Herein, we will discuss the development of marine pharmacology and new additions to the clinical drug arsenal over the last 5 years.