Tetrahydropalmatine is a tetrahydroprotoberberine isoquinoline alkaloid that is a primary active constituent of herbal preparations containing plant species of the genera Stephania and Corydalis. The levo isomer of THP (L-THP) appears to contribute to many of the therapeutic effects of these preparations. The pharmacological profile of L-THP, which includes antagonism of dopamine D1 and D2 receptors and actions at dopamine D3, suggests that it may have utility for treating addiction. Clinical trials where L-THP was used for the treatment of cocaine and heroin addiction have promising results. The clinical trial is planned for the treatment of schizophrenia. L-Tetrahydropalmatine is recorded in the Chinese pharmacopoeia.

Ataciguat is a novel anthranilic acid derivative that belongs to a new structural class of sGC activators which are capable of activating the oxidized form of sGC. Ataciguat, a nitric oxide-independent soluble guanylate cyclase activator, is being developed by Sanofi (previously sanofi-aventis), in collaboration with Mayo Clinic and National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences. Ataciguat is in phase II clinical trials for the treatment of aortic valve stenosis. It had been used to treat neuropathic pain and peripheral arterial disease, but this research has been discontinued.

Lysergide (LSD) is a semi-synthetic hallucinogen and is one of the most potent drugs known. Recreational use became popular between the 1960s to 1980s, but is now less common. LSD was first synthesized by Albert Hoffman while working for Sandoz Laboratories in Basel in 1938. Some years later, during a re-evaluation of the compound, he accidentally ingested a small amount and described the first ‘trip’. During the 1950s and 1960s, Sandoz evaluated the drug for therapeutic purposes and marketed it under the name Delysid®. It was used for research into the chemical origins of mental illness. Recreational use started in the 1960s and is associated with the ‘psychedelic period’. LSD possesses a complex pharmacological profile that includes direct activation of serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine receptors. In addition, one of its chief sites of action is that of compound-specific (“allosteric”) alterations in secondary messengers associated with 5HT2A and 5HT2C receptor activation and changes in gene expression. The hallucinogenic effects of LSD are likely due to agonism at 5HT2A and 5HT2C receptors. LSD is also an agonist at the majority of known serotonin receptors, including 5HT1A, 5HT1B, 5HT1D, 5HT5A, 5HT6 and 5HT7 receptors. During the 1960s, LSD was investigated for a variety of psychiatric indications, including the following: as an aid in treatment of schizophrenia; as a means of creating a "model psychosis"; as a direct antidepressant; and as an adjunct to psychotherapy. LSD is listed in Schedule I of the United Nations 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances.

Edaglitazone have a clear PPAR-gamma agonist profile, with predominant PPAR-gamma activity and little PPAR-alpha activity. Edaglitazone was reported to significantly improve insulin sensitivity and enhance the rate of glucose oxidation in both the presence and absence of insulin. Additional studies have shown that edaglitazone affects muscle glucose metabolism by additional mechanisms other than PPAR-gamma activation. Phase I clinical studies have revealed that edaglitazone is well-tolerated and capable of significantly improving glucose homeostasis. Edaglitazone had been in phase II clinical trials for the treatment if type 2 diabetes. However, this research has been discontinued.

Sanguinarine is an extract of the bloodroot plant Sanguinaria canadensis, a member of the poppy family. It is an inhibitor of protein phosphatases PP1, PP2C and PP2B in vitro. Also inhibits mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase-1 (MKP-1) and other enzymes. Sanguinarine exerts a protective effect in cerebral ischemia, and this effect is associated with its anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic properties. It was clinically tested as an agent against gingivitis and tooth plaques.

Dasotraline, also known as SEP-225,289, is a serotonin-norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitor (SNDRI). It has an extended half-life (47-77 hours) that supports the potential for plasma concentrations yielding a continuous therapeutic effect over the 24-hour dosing interval at steady state. Dasotraline has shown a lower potential for abuse than methylphenidate in clinical testing. Dasotraline was discovered by Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. and is currently in development to evaluate its use in treating ADHD in adults and children, and BED in adults in the United States. It has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of ADHD, BED or any other disorder.

Merestinib (LY2801653) is a small molecule that has been shown in vitro to be a reversible type II ATP-competitive slowoff inhibitor of MET tyrosine kinase with a dissociation constant (Ki) of 2 nM, a pharmacodynamic residence time (Koff) of 0.00132 min−1 and a half-life (t1/2) of 525 min. Preclinical testing also has shown merestinib to inhibit several other receptor tyrosine oncokinases including MST1R, FLT3, AXL, MERTK, TEK, ROS1, NTRK1/2/3, and DDR1/2 and the serine/threonine kinases MKNK1/2. Merestinib is being investigated in a phase II clinical trials in patients with biliary tract cancer, non-small cell lung cancer and solid tumours.

Ravuconazole is a triazole with antifungal properties that inhibits cytochrome P450 sterol 14a-demethylase, an enzyme involved in sterol synthesis, resulting in lysis of the fungal cell wall and fungal cell death. It was investigated for the treatment of aspergillosis, candidiasis, and onychomycosis, but these studies were discontinued. Ravuconazole is now in phase II clinical trials to investigate efficacy in preventing fungal infections in patients undergoing chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation.

Abexinostat (PCI-24781) is a novel, second-generation phenyl hydroxamic acid–based, orally bioavailable HDAC inhibitor that has previously been shown to have activity in vitro and in vivo against a broad array of cancers, including hematopoietic malignancies and bone and soft-tissue sarcomas. Abexinostat is a pan-HDAC inhibitor mostly targeting HDAC1 with Ki of 7 nM, modest potent to HDACs 2, 3, 6, and 10 and greater than 40-fold selectivity against HDAC8. Abexinostat exhibits potent antitumor activity against a variety of tumor cell lines with GI50 ranging from 0.15 uM to 3.09 uM. PCI-24781 also has an antiproliferative effect on HUVEC endothelial cells with GI50 of 0.43 uM. Abexinostat treatment causes dose-dependent accumulation of both acetylated histones and acetylated tubulin in HCT116 or DLD-1 cells, induces expression of p21, and leads to PARP cleavage and accumulation of the γH2AX. It has also shown good tolerability and activity in Phase I and II clinical trials against lymphoma, as well as against solid tumors in Phase-I trials. Additionally, it acts as a potent radiosensitizing agent and is synergistic with cytotoxic chemotherapy, such as doxorubicin in preclinical models.

Vidofludimus (SC12267; 4SC-101) is a novel oral immunomodulator inhibiting dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) and the expression of proinflammatory cytokines including interleukin-17 (IL17A and IL17F) and interferon-gamma. This drug is in the clinical trial for the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases and Rheumatoid arthritis.