Ron Li

In 2022, Amgen acquired ChemoCentryx for $4B in cash, primarily for avacopan, a first-in-class treatment approved in 2021 for a rare automimmune condition, anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV). Scientifically, it is notable that avacopan is the first small molecule targeting the complement pathway to be [...]

Amgen has acquired ChemoCentryx in a deal that includes lead molecule avacopan (Tavneos), a first-in-class orally bioavailable small molecule complement 5a receptor (C5aR) antagonist approved as an adjunctive treatment to standard of care therapy for adults with severe active anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody (ANCA)-associated [...]

Dorzagliatin (Hua Medicine) is an oral dual-acting full glucokinase (GK) activator being developed for type 2 diabetes . More than 50 years since the first report of the role of GK in glucose metabolism, no agents targeting this enzyme have been approved, although not for lack of trying. We recently covered a partial GK activator [...]

We asked the global drug discovery community to nominate and vote on their favorite molecule from 2021, and the results are in. The 2021 choice for Drug Hunter’s Small Molecule of the Year is Pfizer’s CoV-2 M pro Inhibitor, PF-07321332 (nirmatrelvir, Paxlovid) . Published in a November 2021 Science article , the molecule was praised for its [...]

Pfizer’s PF-07321332 (API of Paxlovid) is an oral, reversible covalent SARS-CoV-2 main protease inhibitor, which received emergency use authorization from the FDA for Covid treatment at the end of 2021. Clinical data showed Paxlovid reducing Covid hospitalization and death by 89%. It was nominated for November’s cover by Mike Koehler [...]