Metformin is one of the most commonly prescribed drugs for diabetes. The article states that being this is a well known and documented drug that trials would not be an issue as many are already taking the medication. 
It is also the only anti-diabetic drug know to protect against the cardiovascular complications of diabetes. In the research, the drug is used in combination with chemotherapy drugs and on it’s own, was not effective. So far testing has only been done with mice, but this certainly sounds promising and is a lot faster than creating a drug from scratch by all means. BD
In a one-two punch, a familiar diabetes drug reduced tumors faster and prolonged remission in mice longer than chemotherapy alone by targeting cancer stem cells, Harvard Medical School researchers reported in the September 14 online first edition of Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
“We have found a compound selective for cancer stem cells,” said lead researcher Kevin Struhl, Ph.D., the David Wesley Gaiser professor of biological chemistry and molecular pharmacology at Harvard Medical School. “What’s different is that ours is a first-line diabetes drug.”
These findings add to a growing body of preliminary evidence in cells, mice and people that metformin may improve breast cancer outcomes in people. In this study, the diabetes drug seemed to work independently of its ability to improve insulin sensitivity and lower blood sugar and insulin levels, all of which are also associated with better breast cancer outcomes.
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