Ziretaxestat, an oral autotaxin (ATX) inhibitor originated by Galapagos, once garnered excitement as the first molecule to complete a Ph. III clinical program in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis since the approvals of nintedanib and pirfenidone. Following the disappointing clinical data and discontinuation of the molecule, this annotation revisits ziritaxestat in the context of other inhibitors, recaps the therapeutic hypothesis and how it was discovered, summarizes notable molecular properties for drug discovery scientists, and discusses what happened and what’s next.

The Altos Therapeutics /Takeda D2/D3 receptor antagonist, TAK-906 , is a peripherally-restricted, non-BBB penetrant molecule, targeting the stomach and vomiting center in the area postrema to treat gastroparesis. Gastroparesis is a chronic condition characterized by delayed gastric emptying, resulting in nausea, vomiting, pain, and anorexia [...]

LEO 134310 is a non-steroidal, selective glucocorticoid receptor (GR) agonist in Ph. I for plaque psoriasis. Glucocorticoid receptor modulators are widely used in tissue-restricted forms (think Flonase) for their acute effects, but prolonged engagement of GR is undesirable. Previously LEO Pharma described the identification of this topical [...]

On Mar. 14th, 2024, resmetirom (REZDIFFRA™) became the first and only medicine approved by the FDA for the treatment of NASH (non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, aka MASH). Resmetirom, an oral, liver-targeting, once-daily THR-β-selective agonist originally discovered at Roche Nutley, was first highlighted as a Molecule of the Month in Dec. 2022. Now, with the FDA’s accelerated approval, this 2023 Molecule of the Year nominee reflects a historic milestone for liver drug discovery. This article reviews how the molecule works, how it was discovered, and why it’s a big deal.

Camlipixant is an orally administered antagonist of the ATP-sensing P2X3 homotrimeric receptor ion channel, originated by AstraZeneca AB and assigned to the Canadian NEOMED Institute (now adMare), and developed by BELLUS Health (Canada), for the treatment of chronic cough. Chronic cough remains difficult to treat – the last FDA-approved anti-tussive, dextromethorphan, was first approved in 1958 and has demonstrated limited clinical efficacy.