Emerging drugs for treating skeletal muscle injury and promoting muscle repair.

INTRODUCTION: Musculoskeletal injuries represent a major global public health problem and muscle injury contributes significantly to the burden of disability and suffering. Drugs that can attenuate muscle trauma and/or hasten muscle repair to restore function can help reduce the economic burden and alleviate personal suffering and financial hardship. AREAS COVERED: This review provides an update on some emerging drugs with therapeutic potential for muscle injury including those that could attenuate damage or improve regeneration. Although there are few (if any) drugs in development specifically for muscle injury, there are numerous drugs in development for cardiovascular complications, such as ischemia-reperfusion, that might also have efficacy for promoting regeneration after similar events in skeletal muscle. EXPERT OPINION: Drugs in development for muscle wasting or inflammatory diseases should also be considered within the context of modulating the events associated with muscle degeneration and regeneration. More rigorous pre-clinical evaluations, especially of a drug's efficacy for improving function, would help minimize false leads and hasten development of effective approaches for treating muscle damage and promoting repair after injury.