Retrospective analysis of health claims to evaluate pharmacotherapies with potential for repurposing: Association of bupropion and stimulant use disorder remission

Drug repurposing is the identification of novel indication(s) for existing medications. Health claims data provide a burgeoning resource to evaluate pharmacotherapies with repurposing potential. To demonstrate a workflow for drug repurposing using claims data, we assessed the association between prescription of bupropion and stimulant use disorder (StUD) remission. Using the Truven Marketscan database, 96,156 individuals with a StUD were identified. Logistic regression was used to model the association between new bupropion prescriptions and remission while controlling for age, sex, region, StUD severity, antidepressant co-prescriptions, and comorbid mood and attention disorders. Prescription of bupropion within 30 days offirst documented StUD diagnosis increased odds of a subsequent remission diagnosis by 2.1 times (99% confidence interval: 1.09-3.89) in individuals with an amphetamine use disorder, but not those with a cocaine use disorder. This work provides a framework for reverse-translational drug repurposing, which may be applied to many other medical conditions.