Promising new uses for existing medicines do not always reach patients. Although drug repurposing can often be faster and less costly than developing an entirely new medicine, securing funding for these projects remains difficult. Amsterdam UMC Ventures Holding is therefore committing €4 million to a new fund that will help start-ups develop existing medicines for new conditions.

The Amsterdam UMC Drug Repurposing Fund focuses on spin-offs arising from research at Amsterdam UMC. It aims to support projects that might otherwise remain in the research phase. The fund will also pay particular attention to socially responsible pricing, so that the resulting treatments can be affordable and accessible to patients.

Professor Arjen Brussaard, Vice Dean for Valorisation, announced the launch on 22 September 2026 at the RARE-NL event Drug repurposing with a purpose at Amsterdam UMC.

“A good idea should not be held back because it does not fit the conventional investment model. With this fund, we are helping to develop new uses for existing medicines and bring them closer to patients. This reflects our approach to valorisation: social impact and a willingness to invest go hand in hand.”

The funding gap in drug repurposing

Drug repurposing involves developing an existing medicine for use in another condition. Because much is already known about the medicine, development can in some cases be faster, less costly and less uncertain than developing an entirely new treatment. Even so, many projects remain in the academic research phase. For conventional biotech investors and pharmaceutical companies, the commercial prospects are not always attractive enough to justify investing early in development. As a result, even promising projects can struggle to move from academic research towards patient use.

The new fund aims to provide financing at precisely this stage. Where possible, the spin-offs will work towards socially responsible pricing. The relatively modest development costs of repurposing can create opportunities to do so.

Fund profile

The Amsterdam UMC Drug Repurposing Fund has a total of €4 million to invest over seven years. During that period, it aims to invest in approximately nine Amsterdam UMC spin-offs. Initial investments are expected to be around €350,000 per spin-off, with scope for follow-on investments in the most successful companies. Although these are relatively small sums in medicine development, they can make a substantial difference to repurposing projects at an early stage. The fund’s investments are also expected to encourage co-investment from other parties interested in drug repurposing.

The fund builds on previous investments by Amsterdam UMC Ventures Holding in this type of company. These include GuanaRep B.V., which is developing the blood pressure medicine guanabenz for the rare brain disease vanishing white matter, and Pepper Therapeutics B.V., which is developing the diabetes medicine phenformin for pancreatic cancer in collaboration with Erasmus MC.

About the launch

Professor Brussaard announced the fund at the RARE-NL event Drug repurposing with a purpose: routes naar duurzame patiënttoegang on Tuesday, 22 September 2026, at Amsterdam UMC. The event explored how promising repurposing projects can advance scientifically and ultimately become sustainably available to patients. It was organised by RARE-NL in collaboration with Medicijn voor de Maatschappij.

The fund is available to invest in Amsterdam UMC spin-offs. Companies without a connection to Amsterdam UMC are not eligible. For more information, please contact Marc Roelofs at mroelofs@aav.nl.