Molecules on the Move: April '23

This article highlights million-dollar molecules that were recently in the news with related patent applications that give clues to their structures and properties. This edition includes Maze’s glycogen synthase 1 (GYS1) inhibitors that were recently licensed to Sanofi, allosteric androgen receptor (AR) modulators that may be of interest to targeted protein degradation researchers, brain-penetrant HER2 and ROCK2 inhibitors, and MDM2 degraders.

In June, we saw several FDA approvals for treatments targeting primary biliary cholangitis and COPD. The industry witnessed multibillion- and multimillion-dollar deals across various therapeutic areas. Advances were made in obesity therapeutics, with novel targets and clinical readouts for GLP-1 agonists and NLRP3 inhibitors. Alkermes and Takeda reported results for OX2R agonists in narcolepsy, while an antimalarial drug showed promise in PCOS. Despite these advancements, there were clinical trial failures for key molecules. Here's a recap of the most notable news highlights from June 2024!

To help you quickly scan the patent literature, we’ve distilled down thousands of new documents into a searchable table of over 200 selected patents focused on key areas in drug discovery, all published in May 2024. This resource is enriched with detailed highlights on selected molecules targeting high-interest areas such as STING antagonists, WIZ degraders, RNA degraders, and macrocyclic amine-based OX2R modulators.

To choose Molecules of the Month for June, our team reviewed hundreds of molecules from thousands of papers, press releases, conference presentations, and other sources. In this article, you'll find a curated selection of over 60 additional molecules from June that piqued our interest, along with highlights of some of our favorites and explanations of why they're worth keeping an eye on.

To select April’s Molecules of the Month, our team evaluated hundreds of molecules from thousands of papers, press releases, conference presentations, and other materials. Here we’ve curated a roundup of more than 60 additional molecules that caught our interest from April, along with highlights we found most notable.