Chiesi Farmaceutici’s CHF-6523 is an inhaled, lung-restricted, selective PI3Kδ inhibitor designed to provide relief to patients with COPD. Its development involved optimization of permeability and solubility as well as identification of a solid form amenable for dry powder inhalation. Disclosed at the EFMC-ISMC 2024 joint conference in Rome, Italy, this article covers the structure, development, and early clinical data of CHF-6523, which ultimately indicates that PI3Kδ inhibition may not provide clinical effect in reduction of lung inflammation.

Genentech announced that fenebrutinib (GDC-0853), a non-covalent BTK inhibitor entering Ph. III, showed significant human CNS exposure and reduced new brain lesions in Ph. II for relapsing multiple sclerosis. Fenebrutinib is the only reversible BTK inhibitor in Ph. III for MS, and has the opportunity to differentiate on safety relative to covalent inhibitors. This case study highlights notable challenges overcome in the discovery of fenebrutinib including surprising metabolism, animal-specific on-target toxicity, and more.

NT-0796 is NodThera's pro-drug inhibitor of the NLRP3 inflammasome. NT-0796 is currently in a Ph. Ib/IIa trial in obese individuals at risk of developing atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases. NT-0796 has the potential to reduce neuroinflammation in Parkinson’s disease. The NLRP3 inflammasome has emerged as a hot target due to its connection to Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, gout, and other diseases. Here is a detailed review of the role of NLRP3 inhibition in treating atherosclerosis, how NT-0796 was identified, and what makes it special, clinical development, and more.

The Janssen non-ATP competitive HPK1 inhibitor, “ compound 1 ,” was identified from a screening cascade specifically looking for allosteric inhibitors, which may provide a selectivity advantage over ATP-competitive starting points. Reviewer Adi Murthy says, “ Specificity may prove challenging for HPK active site inhibitors since it belongs to [...]

PF-07054894 is a potential first-in-class, oral Ph. I clinical candidate targeting the chemokine receptor CCR6 for ulcerative colitis (NCT05549323). Several companies have pursued antibodies and small molecules targeting CCR6 or its endogenous ligand, CCL20 (e.g. GSK3050002) for immunological conditions including other preclinical squaramides (e.g. Galderma, Allergan, ChemoCentryx) and other series (e.g. Takeda), but PF-07054894 appears to be the first selective CCR6 antagonist to enter clinical development.