Ameltolide (ADD 75073, LY 201116) is a 4-aminobenzamide anticonvulsant patented by Research Corporation Technologies in the USA. Ameltolide is a sodium channel antagonist, it represents a potential therapy for the treatment of epilepsy. Ameltolide had been in phase I clinical trials by Research Corporation Technologies for the treatment of epilepsy. However, this research has been discontinued.

Millennium (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Takeda) was developing TAK- 901 for the treatment of cancer. TAK-901 is an inhibitor of Aurora A/B with IC50 of 21 nM/15 nM. It is not a potent inhibitor of cellular JAK2, c-Src or Abl. TAK-901 is in phase I clinical trials by Millennium Pharmaceuticals for the treatment of advanced hematological malignancies. TAK-901 had been in phase I clinical trials for solid tumors. However, this study was discontinued.

Fostriecin, an antitumor antibiotic produced by Streptomyces pulveraceus, is a strong inhibitor of serine/threonine protein phosphatases type 2A and type 4, and inhibits the catalytic activity of partially purified Topo II (type II topoisomerase) in a non-competitive manner.

1-(2-DEOXY-2-FLUORO-β-D-ARABINOFURANOSYL)URACIL (FAU) is a thymidine analog. In several cancer cell lines, FAU was phosphorylated intracellularly to its monophosphate, 1-(2-deoxy-2-fluoro--Darabinofuranosyl) uracil monophosphate (FAUMP), by thymidine kinase and methylated in the 5-position by thymidylate synthase to form the product, 1-(2-deoxy-2-fluoro- -D-arabinofuranosyl) 5-methyluracil monophosphate (FMAUMP). FAU strongly inhibits the growth of tumor cells with high thymidylate synthase activity. FAU had been in phase I clinical trial for the treatment of advanced solid tumors.

Arno Therapeutics is developing AR-12, an orally available, targeted therapy for cancer and infectious diseases. AR-12 is a potentially first-in-class, orally available, targeted anti-cancer agent that has been shown in preclinical studies to inhibit phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase-1, or PDK-1, a protein in the PI3K/Akt pathway that is involved in the growth and proliferation of cells, including cancer cells. Although FDA-approved drugs that target the Akt pathway have shown efficacy in treating cancer, some tumors either do not respond to these drugs or eventually become resistant to therapy. Scientists hypothesize that a combination of drugs that inhibit different targets in this pathway could provide synergistic or additive benefits to increase efficacy and potentially overcome drug resistance. For this reason, there has been particular interest within the biopharmaceutical industry in developing inhibitors of PI3K, PDK-1, and Akt. AR-12 was licensed to Arno in January 2008 by The Ohio State University Research Foundation for commercial development by Arno as a potential treatment for solid tumors and hematological malignancies. In preclinical studies, AR-12 has shown efficacy in a wide range of tumor types, including breast, lung, prostate, pancreatic, brain and hematological cancers, as both a single-agent as well as in combination with leading oncology therapeutics. Also AR-12 represents a promising class of small molecules with broad-spectrum antifungal activity. AR-12 inhibits fungal acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA) synthetase in vitro and is fungicidal at concentrations similar to those achieved in human plasma. AR-12 has a broad spectrum of activity, including activity against yeasts (e.g., Candida albicans, non-albicans Candida spp., Cryptococcus neoformans), molds (e.g., Fusarium, Mucor), and dimorphic fungi (Blastomyces, Histoplasma, and Coccidioides) with MICs of 2 to 4 ug/ml. AR-12 is also active against azole- and echinocandin-resistant Candida isolates, and subinhibitory AR-12 concentrations increase the susceptibility of fluconazole- and echinocandin-resistant Candida isolates. Also AR-12 acts as a broad-specificity anti-viral drug in vitro and in vivo. AR-12 (OSU-03012) interacts with multiple chaperone proteins of the HSP90 family and the HSP70 family resulting in a broad spectrum of chaperone inactivation. This overall loss of chaperone functionality results in cells being more readily capable of undergoing autophagic processes and in cells that have a reduced competency for virus replication.

AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION (AMD), PROLIFERATIVE DIABETIC RETINOPATHY (PDR) AND DIABETIC MACULAR EDEMA (DME) are collectively characterized by VEGF mediated retinal leakage, angiogenesis, and an underlying inflammatory process. TargeGen's TG100801 is designed to inhibit a select group of kinases involved in those three processes. Currently approved drug based therapy for macular degeneration requires repeated injection into the eye. TG100801 is the first topically applied, VEGFR)/Src kinase inhibitor to advance into the clinic for the treatment of Age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy. The formation of new blood vessels (angiogenesis), blood vessel leakage, and inflammation contribute to the progression of the eye disease, which is the leading cause of irreversible, severe loss of vision in people 55 years of age and older in the developed world. In cell based assays, following topical instillation, TG100572, the active drug produced by conversion of TG100801 as it penetrates the eye, was shown to induce apoptosis in proliferating endothelial cells responsible for neovasculariztion and to inhibit inflammatory-mediated processes as measured by endotoxin-induced nitric oxide release in vitro.

SGI-1776 is a PIM-kinase inhibitor, developed by SuperGen Inc. SGI-1176 was tested in clinical trials against relapsed/refractory leukemias, prostate cancer and Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma, but the dose limiting toxicity of cardiac QTc prolongation was identified and clinical development of SGI-1776 was terminated.

JNJ-26854165 (Serdemetan), a novel tryptamine derivative, was developed as an activator of p53, and its initially proposed mechanism of action involved preventing the association of HDM2 with the proteasome and thereby stabilizing HDM2 substrates such as p53. Consistent with this proposed mechanism, Serdemetan induced apoptosis in acute myeloid and lymphoid leukemia cell lines and in primary acute leukemia isolates. Serdemetan is currently being evaluated in Phase I clinical trials in patients with non-small cell lung cancer; prostate cancer; solid tumours.

Indotecan (LMP400) is a novel indenoisoquinoline derivative with specific topoisomerase I inhibition activity, developed by Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis National Cancer Institute for cancer treatment. In preclinical studied Indotecan inhibited the cell growth of established mouse pheochromocytoma cell lines and primary human tumor tissue cultures. Low doses of Indotecan decreased the protein levels of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1α), one of a family of factors studied as potential metastatic drivers in these tumors. In vitro, Indotecan showed an increase in the growth-inhibitory effects in combination with other chemotherapeutic drugs that are currently used for the treatment of pheochromocytoma. Recently Indotecan has entered Phase I clinical trials for the treatment of cancer patients at the National Cancer Institute, and definite plans are being formulated to commence Phase II clinical trials.

NMS-P937 is a selective PLK1 inhibitor. It was developed by Nerviano Medical Sciences and tested in phase I clinical trials.