Mericitabine is a specific inhibitor of hepatitis C virus (HCV) replication that target NS5B polymerase. Mericitabine, a prodrug, is hydrolyzed in vivo to produce PSI-6130. It had been studied in phase II clinical trials for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C. However, while it showed a good safety profile in clinical trials, it was not sufficiently effective to be used as a standalone agent.

GSK1292263 (GSK263) (5-[({1-[3-(1-methylethyl)-1,2,4-oxadiazol-5-yl]-4-piperidinyl}methyl)oxy]-2-[4-(methylsulfonyl)phenyl]pyridine) is a potent and selective agonist at the rodent and human GPR119 receptors that was discovered at GlaxoSmithKline. It has a pEC50 = 6.8 for human, rat and mouse GPR119 receptors expressed in an in vitro reporter assay, and a pEC50 = 8.5 for the stimulation of GLP-1 secretion from GLUTag cells. Like other GPR119 agonists, GSK1292263 increases glucose-sensitive insulin secretion, improves glucose tolerance and enhances the secretion of gut hormones in normal rats. GSK1292263 has finished Phase II clinical trial for Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2.

Mibampator, also known as LY451395, is a potent and highly selective an AMPA receptor potentiator, which plays a role in the regulation of the glutamatergic system. The AMPA system also has important functions in the regulation of synapses, synaptic regeneration, and neuroprotection and is therefore a good therapeutic target for treatments aiming to improve cognition and function or alter disease progression. Mibampator was in the phase II clinical trial for the treatment of agitation and aggression in Alzheimer's disease (AD).

8-chloroadenosine (8-Cl-Ado) is a ribonucleoside analog. The mechanism of its action remains poorly understood, however, it is known that the drug inhibits RNA synthesis. It has significant cytotoxic activity against lymphoid and myeloid malignant cells. The nucleoside analog 8-Cl-Ado is phosphorylated into its cytotoxic triphosphate 8-Cl-ATP. The accumulation of the cytotoxic metabolite results in a parallel decrease of the ATP cellular pools. 8-Cl-Ado gets incorporated into RNA during transcription, hindering this process. In addition, this triphosphate inhibits ATP-dependent poly(A) tail synthesis, and, as a consequence, mRNA processing is inhibited, resulting in vitro cytotoxicity in several solid and hematological malignancies. This agent is currently in clinical trials for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia and acute myeloid leukemia.

CF102 known as Cl-IB-MECA (2-chloro-N6-(3-iodobenzyl)-adenosine-5’- N-methyl-uronamide), is a highly specific and selective agonist at the A3 adenosine receptor. Phase I/II study in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) successfully met its primary and secondary endpoints demonstrating initial indications for efficacy of CF102. A global Phase II study treating patients with CF102 as a second line therapy will start enroling patients shortly.

Onalespib (AT13387; (2,4-dihydroxy-5-isopropyl-phenyl)-[5-(4-methyl-piperazin-1-ylmethyl)-1,3-dihydro-isoindol-2-yl] methanone, l-lactic acid salt), is wholly owned by Astex, a novel, high-affinity HSP90 inhibitor, which is currently being clinically tested, has shown activity against a wide array of tumor cell lines, including lung cancer cell lines. As a targeted inhibitor of Hsp90, onalespib has the potential to control the proliferation of multiple solid tumors and hematological malignancies where uncontrolled cell growth is dependent on the interaction between Hsp90 and its client proteins. Astex is pursuing an approach based on the observation that addition of onalespib to a molecularly targeted agent may delay the emergence of resistance to the agent, and hence prolong the window of therapeutic benefit. Onalespib is currently being evaluated via a CRADA with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in various tumor types, and in a Phase 1/2 clinical study in combination with AT7519, Astex CDK inhibitor.

Raxatrigine also known as GSK1014802 and CNV-1014802, is a novel analgesic under development by Convergence Pharmaceuticals for the treatment of lumbosacral radiculopathy (sciatica) and trigeminal neuralgia (TGN). It is a novel state dependent small molecule sodium channel blocker that preferentially inhibits the Nav 1.7 ion channel, a therapeutic target implicated by genetics in human pain conditions. Raxatrigine is thought to penetrate the central nervous system and block Nav channels in a novel manner. CNV1014802 was granted orphan drug designation in 2013 by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia.

Birinapant is a parenterally administered bivalent peptidomimetic of the SMAC protein (Second Mitochondria-derived Activator of Caspases) and is therefore known as a SMAC mimetic compound. Birinapant is a particularly potent antagonist of two members of the Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins (IAP) family, cIAP-1, and cIAP-2. cIAP-1 and -2 are ubiquitin ligases whose expression can protect cells from apoptosis and cause pro-survival effects of TNF-α and related ligands. When Birinapant binds to cIAP-1 or -2 it causes the protein to ubiquitinate itself, which in turn drives the degradation of the protein. In this way, birinapant suppresses the levels of cIAP-1 and cIAP-2 and therefore switches cell signaling to drive tumor cell apoptosis in the presence of TNF-α. Birinapant has been shown to give rise to sustained and substantial reductions of cIAP1 levels in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMCs) and tumor tissue. To date, Birinapant has been dosed in approximately 450 patients across 9 studies. The majority of studies was in oncology (one in HBV) and primarily recruited patients with refractory solid tumors & hematological malignancies (dominated by ovarian, colorectal, acute myeloid leukemia and Myelodysplastic syndromes). Overall Birinapant has shown acceptable safety and tolerability for further development in oncology indications. The current plans are to study Birinapant clinically in combination with Keytruda® for the treatment solid tumors and in an Investigator-Initiated study at UCLA for high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC) in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy.

Tetradecylthioacetic acid (TTA) is a hypolipidemic antioxidant with immunomodulating properties involving activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs). TTA exerts both hypolipidemic and anti-inflammatory effects in psoriasis patients - TTA can be of therapeutic benefit for a subgroup of psoriatic patients. TTA may improve myocardial function in heart failure, potentially involving its ability to decrease the availability of free fatty acids in plasma and increase the myocardial proportion of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. TTA attenuates dyslipidemia in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. These effects may occur through mechanisms involving PPAR-alpha and PPAR-delta activation, resulting in increased mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation.

Piritrexim is a synthetic antifolate agent with antiparasitic, antipsoriatic and antitumor properties. Piritrexim inhibits the enzyme dihydrofolate reductase, thereby disrupting folate metabolism and DNA synthesis and cell division. A theoretical advantage of piritrexim over trimetrexate is a lack of any known effects on histamine metabolism, which may lower the risk of hypersensitivity reactions. Piritrexim is a nonclassical antifolate for antitumor and parasitic chemotherapy that passively diffuses into cells and hence do not have to depend on folylpoly-gamma-glutamate synthetase or the reduced folate carrier. Because piritrexim is not a substrate for polyglutamation, the drug is not selectively retained within cells for prolonged periods. Piritrexim has a reliably high oral bioavailability of about 75%, which has led to its development as an oral lipophilic antifolate. Most commonly, it has been administered in oral daily doses of 75 to 150 mg bid or tid every 5 days, with cycles repeated every 3 weeks. Oral absorption is rapid, with peak plasma levels appearing at 1.5 hours after ingestion. Elimination occurs primarily via hepatic metabolism of the drug to active metabolites, and the terminal half-life of the parent compound is about 1.5 to 4.5 hours. Single-agent oral piritrexim has clinical activity in melanoma, urothelial cancers, and head and neck cancers. Tolerable combinations of piritrexim with cisplatin, fluorouracil, and leucovorin have been tested, with promising results achieved in head and neck cancer. An interesting attempt to alternate piritrexim with methotrexate did not have any greater activity than methotrexate alone.