Beginning with the End in Mind: Five Minutes with a Commercial Leader

Drug Hunter has sifted through news articles, press releases, financial disclosures, SEC filings and more to bring you a roundup of 2023's biggest mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the drug discovery world. In this 4-part series we will give you an open-access overview of the M&A landscape, and then for Drug Hunter members in the coming weeks, we will be providing in-depth coverage and analysis of the small molecule-focused (parts 2 & 3) and biologics-based deals (part 4). This premium content includes background on the targets, chemical/biological matter and clinical data driving these deals.

The Drug Hunter team is piloting a new series highlighting notable disclosures in the patent literature to provide our readers a timely and scientifically flavorful synopsis of therapeutic targets being actively pursued, emerging industry breakthroughs, and fascinating chemical matter. Here we highlight 12 patents published in December 2023 that piqued our interest, and compiled a searchable table comprising key information from more than 180 additional patents of potential interest to drug hunters. If you have any suggestions on how to make this more useful, please let us know!

One of the key challenges in CNS projects is achieving sufficient unbound brain exposure to engage the target. To predict CNS exposure, scientists employ metrics like CNS MPO scores from Pfizer and Merck, Bayesian models, and methods for balancing physicochemical properties. However, these in silico metrics often fail to correlate well with experimental data. Schrödinger's team has discovered the energy of solvation (E-sol) metric, which accurately predicts Kp,uu and has been validated with CNS-penetrant DLK inhibitors. Explore more in this detailed Drug Hunter article.

Imagine having access to an almost infinite amount of chemical space that could include the next blockbuster medicine waiting to be discovered. The challenge for medicinal chemists is balancing the exploration of this vast space in early drug discovery with the need for focused exploration in later stages. This article explores the genesis of a new AI-powered drug design tool, AIDDISON™ from MilliporeSigma, and how this platform can benefit discovery teams around the world.

Among the small molecule highlights in January’s news were a $100M+ Series A for a PARP1 + PI3Kα-focused company, clinical data with an SLC inhibitor for PKU, a 5-HT2C superagonist for seizures, and a NK1,3 dual antagonist for women’s health. A novel anti-obesity agent from phenotypic screening also made headlines, and the close of a major acquisition may bring relief to the industry. You can read about these notable scientific highlights and more below.