Context. GCC5694A (GC Pharma (Green Cross)) is an oral SGLT2 inhibitor. SGLT2 inhibitors help glycemic control in diabetes by preventing reabsorption of glucose in the kidney. Dapagliflozin was the first SGLT2 inhibitor approved in the EU (2012), and canagliflozin was the first to be approved in the US (2013). We recently highlighted [...]

In August 2024, seladelpar (LivdelziTM) became the first FDA-approved selective agonist of PPARδ (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor δ), following an almost 20-year journey from the original discovery and patent publications. Originally developed by CymaBay in collaboration with Johnson & Johnson, approval was granted to Gilead Sciences following their February 2024 purchase of CymaBay Therapeutics for $4.3B. Seladelpar was approved as a second-line treatment for patients with primary biliary cholangitis.

Chugai’s PCO371 is an oral, biased agonist and "molecular wedge" of the class B GPCR, PTHR1, that first entered development for hypoparathyroidism in 2015 (NCT02475616). While Class A GPCRs, which typically have compact ligandable pockets are the most common targets for approved drugs, Class B GPCRs like PTHR1, GLP-1R, and CGRP are notoriously difficult to drug since they normally bind large peptides with long transmembrane tunnels that are not easily bound by small molecules. This article explains what makes PCO371 a big deal for GPCR drug discovery.

Pfizer disclosed the structure and discovery of their oral small molecule BDK inhibitor/degrader, PF-07328948, during the ACS Fall 2024 First-Time Disclosures session in Denver. The team identified a thiophene carboxylic acid-based hit targeting an allosteric pocket on BDK. Through optimization, they overcame challenges such as potential IADRs and BDK-E2 complex stabilization. By manipulating the dihedral angle of the methoxy group, they enhanced binding interactions, verifying PF-07328948's unexpected mechanism of action in vivo. PF-07328948 is currently Ph. I trials.

Recently, a surge of (pre)clinical compounds inhibiting the NLRP3 inflammasome, often featuring a hexahydroindacene ring system, has emerged, including Nodthera’s ND-0796. In a push for new chemotypes, AZ and Mitsubishi Tanabe have disclosed their clinical compound, AZD4144, which is currently in Ph. I trials in healthy volunteers. The discovery story detailed their efforts to overcome PLD (phospholipidosis), genotoxicity, and hERG inhibition in a non-classical pharmacophore series. The discovery was presented by Anders Johansson at the EFMC-ISMC 2024 Meeting in Rome.