Welcome to Phase III!

The 34 small molecule drug approvals of 2023 are summarized in this poster and article with the structures, mechanisms of action, originators (& marketers), indications, and links to deep-dive reviews and more information about each drug.

Gleevec (imatinib) was the first tyrosine kinase inhibitor approved for the treatment of cancer and one of the first products to emerge from "rational drug design."  It's invention changed chronic myeloid leukemia from an incurable death sentence to a manageable disease. Here's a look back on the tremendous value it's created over the last [...]

We asked the global drug discovery community to nominate and vote on their favorite molecule from 2023, and the results are in. The 2023 winner, with the most votes between ten molecules, is Merck’s oral macrocyclic peptide inhibitor of PCSK9, MK-0616, derived from mRNA display technology and shown to have clinical efficacy. Herein, we highlight what makes MK-0616 so impressive to the drug discovery community.

The team reviews hundreds of compounds from thousands of papers, press releases, and other sources each month to select candidates for Molecules of the Month. Here we have compiled a table of >60 additional molecules that were of interest in December 2023 along with highlights from some of the team’s favorites in the 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.