Basimglurant is a potent, selective, and safe mGlu5 inhibitor with good oral bioavailability and long half-life supportive of once-daily administration, good brain penetration, and high in vivo potency. It has antidepressant properties that are corroborated by its functional magnetic imaging profile as well as anxiolytic-like and antinociceptive features. In electroencephalography recordings, basimglurant shows wake-promoting effects followed by increased delta power during subsequent non-rapid eye movement sleep. Basimglurant has favorable drug-like properties, a differentiated molecular mechanism of action, and antidepressant-like features that suggest the possibility of also addressing important comorbidities of MDD including anxiety and pain as well as daytime sleepiness and apathy or lethargy. Basimglurant is being under development by Roche for the treatment of treatment-resistant depression (as an adjunct). It is in phase II clinical trials for this indication.

Japan Tobacco developed JTV-519 (known also as K201) as an antiarrhythmic agent. This drug was in Phase II trials for the potential treatment of Atrial Fibrillation, but study was terminated. In experimental myofibrillar overcontraction models, JTV-519 demonstrated greater cardioprotectant effects than propranolol, also, this drug investigated against heart failure, but then these researches have been discontinued. In addition, K201 was in phase II clinical trial for investigation its topical implementation for Atopic Dermatitis. The mechanism of its action is both complex and controversial, known that it is a non-specific blocker of sodium, potassium and calcium channels (multiple-channel blocker). It is believed to stabilize the closed state of the RyR2 (cardiac ryanodine receptor) by increasing its affinity for the FKBP12.6 (12.6 kDa FK506 binding protein), in addition was suggested, that suppression of spontaneous Ca2 release and the activity of RyR2 contributes, at least in part, to the anti-arrhythmic properties of K201.

NMED-160 (also known as MK-6721, NP-118809, Z-160) is a potent N-type calcium channel blockers, which has good selectivity over L-type calcium channels. Neuromed Pharmaceuticals developed this compound for the treatment of the chronic pain. However, that study was discontinued in 2007 in spite of absence of adverse events, but because drug did not demonstrate the ideal, pharmaceutical characteristics considered necessary to advance the compound further in development. Then Zalicus, Inc. was developing that drug for the treatment of chronic neuropathic pain associated with lumbosacral radiculopathy and post-herpetic neuralgia and drug was in the phase II clinical trial. Nevertheless, based on the result from trials, where Z160 did not meet the primary endpoint, Zalicus was also discontinuing the Z160 program.

Otenabant (CP-945,598) is Pfizer developed as a potent and selective cannabinoid receptor CB1 antagonist with Ki of 0.7 nM, which exhibits 10,000-fold greater selectivity against human CB2 receptor, for treatment of obesity. In clinical trial III Pfizer decided to discontinue the development program based on changing regulatory perspectives on the risk/benefit profile of the CB1 class and likely new regulatory requirements for approval.

Pozanicline is an alpha4-beta2 neuronal nicotinic receptor partial agonist. It had been in phase II clinical trials for the treatment of attention hyperactivity disorder and Alzheimer’s disease. It was tested for the treatment of schizophrenia too. All these studies were discontinued. Modulation of hippocampal learning and memory using Pozanicline in animal model was effective as novel therapeutic strategies for nicotine addiction. However future clinical trial was terminated.

Brivanib is a pyrrolotriazine-based compound and an inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR-2) with potential antineoplastic activity. It specifically targets and strongly binds to human VEGFR-2, a tyrosine kinase receptor and pro-angiogenic growth factor expressed almost exclusively on vascular endothelial cells. Blockade of VEGFR-2 by this agent may lead to an inhibition of VEGF-stimulated endothelial cell migration and proliferation, thereby inhibiting tumor angiogenesis. Brivanib has a moderate potency compared to VEGFR-2 against VEGFR-1 and FGFR-1 as well. Brivanib is suggested to be efficient in treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). As first-line and as second-line therapy brivanib demonstrated promising antitumor activity and a manageable safety profile in patients with advanced, unresectable HCC in phase II clinical trials. On 3 march 2011, orphan designation was granted by the European Commission to Bristol-Myers Squibb for brivanib alaninate for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.[

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.

Thiorphan is the first potent synthetic inhibitor of enkephalinase. Thiorphan displays antinociceptive activity after systemic administration. Thiorphan also inhibits to a lesser extent the widely distributed angiotensin-converting enzyme, a carboxydipeptidase implicated in blood pressure regulation. Thiorphan failed to potentiate allergen-induced airway responses in asthma. Thiorphan significantly reduced the castor oil-induced diarrhea in rats when administered intravenously but not when administered intracerebroventricularly. Racecadotril, via its active metabolite thiorphan, was consistently effective in animal models and patients with various forms of acute diarrhea by inhibiting pathologic (but not basal) secretion from the gut without changing gastro-intestinal transit time or motility.

Veribulin is a novel microtubule destabilizer that both functions as a potent cytotoxin and acts as a vascular disrupting agent (VDA). It binds to the same (or nearby) sites on β-tubulin as colchicine. It is capable of evading multidrug resistance pumps and, thus, achieves high CNS concentrations. It is efficacious in multiple xenograft models without CNS toxicity. Veribulin had previously demonstrated pre-clinical and clinical activity in multiple tumor types. Veribulin is in phase II clinical trial for the treatment of Glioblastoma and Malignant melanoma.

Swainsonine is an indolizidine alkaloid found in Australian Swainsona canescens, North American plants of the genera Astragalus and Oxytropis and also in the fungus Rhizoctonia leguminocola. It is competitive inhibitor of Golgi alpha-mannosidase II and lysosomal alpha-mannosidases. This compound has been reported to be a potent antiproliferative and immunomodulatory agent. However, no evidence of anti-tumor activity of swainsonine was seen in phase II clinical trial, in patients with locally advanced or metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Adverse events such as fatigue, nausea and diarrhea were common but generally mild. Swainsonine is locoweed toxin. Locoweed poisoning is seen throughout the world and annually costs the livestock industry millions of dollars. Swainsonine inhibits lysosomal alpha-mannosidase and Golgi mannosidase II. Poisoned animals are lethargic, anorexic, emaciated, and have neurologic signs that range from subtle apprehension to seizures.