To give some potential drugs a second chance, AstraZeneca PLC, GlaxoSmithKline and  five other companies have created a library of 68 compounds that did not make it to market, in the hope is that one of the other partners will be able to complete development and get the product on the market.

AstraZeneca reached an agreement with the Medical Research Council (MRC) in April 2014 to run a joint research facility at AstraZeneca’s research and development center in Cambridge. For five years, both groups will have access to more than 2 million molecules in AstraZeneca’s compound library, as well as its screening facilities.

The other companies involved in this venture include Janssen Research & Development LLC, Lilly, Pfizer, Takeda and UCB.  All the compounds in the library faltered at some point early in the  process, but are viewed as having promise.