Etiracetam is a nootropic agent. (-)-(S) enantiomer of etiracetam levetiracetam (Keppra®) is used for the treatment of epilepsy.

Pipradimadol is a 4.4-disubstituted piperidine derivative which demonstrates, in animal experiments, effects typical for certain antidepressant and antiserotonin drugs. Pipradimadol is the central serotonin antagonist. Pipradimadol exhibits antinociceptive properties also. Behavioral tests reflect overall sedation after pipradimadol, decreased rectal temperature and locomotor activity; cataleptic effects of tetrabenazine are antagonized and noradrenaline as well as dopamine reuptake in vitro are slightly inhibited. Homovanillic acid, a metabolite of dopamine is strongly increased after pipradimadol in rat striatum. Pipradimadol was used as analgesic agent.

Piriprost (U-60, 257) is a structural analog of prostaglandin I2 (PGI2) with low IP receptor-mediated activity. It inhibits 5-LO (5-lipoxygenase). Piriprost inhibits the release of histamine and leukotrienes, implicating its role in inflammation and allergic responses. However, it was shown, that piriprost did not influence the airway responses after allergen in asthma. Nevertheless, even more, the drug was irritant to the respiratory tract than was placebo.

Fluoromisonidazole F-18 ([F-18] FMISO) is used as a positron emission tomography (PET) radiotracer for imaging. It is generated by labeling fluoromisonidazole with fluorine-18. It is the most widely used nitroimidazole imaging agent for use as a non-invasive way to localize and quantify hypoxia. [18F] decays by positron emission. FMISO binds covalently to cellular molecules at rates that are inversely proportional to intracellular oxygen concentration. In hypoxic cells, FMISO is trapped, which is the basis for the use of this tracer to measure hypoxia.

16alpha-Bromoepiandrosterone (HE2000) is a synthetic steroid that limits non-productive inflammation, enhances protective immunity and improves survival in clinical studies of patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), malaria and tuberculosis infections. HE 2000 had also shown activity in vitro against cytomegalovirus, polio, hepatitis B and C and influenza virus. 16alpha-Bromoepiandrosterone inhibits glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) and cell proliferation. HE 2000 was in phase II development for the Hepatitis B in Malaysia and Singapore, but it was suspended.

Eritoran (E-5564) is a synthetic lipid A analog that has been designed to antagonize the effects of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and has been found to do this by interacting with Toll-like receptor 4, the cell surface receptor for LPS. Preclinical in vitro and in vivo studies of eritoran tetrasodium indicate it can limit excessive inflammatory mediator release associated with LPS and improve survival in sepsis models. Clinically, eritoran was being investigated for the treatment of severe sepsis, septic shock, and other endotoxin-mediated indications. Eritoran development has been discontinued.

AstraZeneca developed disufenton (NXY-059), a free radical trapping agent, for the treatment of ischaemic stroke and other brain injuries. Nevertheless, large clinical trial (3306 versus 1722 patients) was neutral, providing no evidence for the efficacy of disufenton sodium in patients with stroke. One study using rat cortical brain slices concluded that NXY-059 improved neuronal survival. However, another study in mouse neuroblastoma cells reported no effect. Another study reported that NXY-059 restored endothelial blood-brain. Histological analyses revealed several therapeutic advantages associated with disufenton sodium treatment following acute acoustic trauma, including reductions in inner and outer hair cell loss; reductions in acute acoustic trauma-induced loss of calretinin-positive afferent nerve fibers in the spiral lamina; and reductions in fibrocyte loss within the spiral ligament. However, AstraZeneca terminated the development program.

Nifenalol is the beta-receptor antagonist. It has optical isomers. The racemic mixture and the levo-isomer are active in antagonizing beta-receptors, but the dextro-isomer is inactive. The levo-isomer seems to be about twice as active in blocking beta-receptors as the racemate. Nifenalol is virtually devoid of local anesthetic properties in contrast to procaine, propranolol, and butidrine. Nifenalol exacerbated the fighting behavior in male mice by foot-shock. Nifenalol has been studied in patients with coronary artery disease. It afforded the coronary patient good protection against angina and ischemic changes in the EKG. It was further noted that nifenalol had no antiarrhythmic action and that it was devoid of evident side effects. Nifenalol possessed weak action against tremorine and oxotremorine induced tremor.

Pimonidazole (developed as RO 038799) is a derivative of 2-nitroimidazole, which forms adducts (binds to thiol-containing proteins) only at low oxygen tension. Pimonidazole is a novel nontoxic hypoxia marker for the complementary study of tumor hypoxia and cell proliferation in different types of cancer. The drawback of pimonidazole as a hypoxic marker is that it detects only severe hypoxia.