GBT440 (previously GTx011) is a potent and direct drug for sickle cell treatment. In sickle cell anemia, abnormal hemoglobin molecules are formed, which causes problems for the flow of blood and oxygen through the body. GBT440 can selectively bind to hemoglobin, thereby increasing its affinity for oxygen. By inhibiting hemoglobin polymerization, it also prevents deformation of the red blood cells. GBT440, renamed Voxelotor, is thought to help prevent sickle cells blocking blood vessels, and therefore reduces pain (sickle cell crisis) experienced by patients. GBT440 is well absorbed following intravenous and oral administration, and quickly partitions into the red blood cell with a small part re‐distributed into the plasma. GBT440 was well tolerated in a randomized, placebo‐controlled, double blind, parallel group phase I/II study in healthy volunteers and sickle cell disease patients. Headache is the most reported adverse event related to the use of this drug, and no serious adverse events are known. A phase 3 clinical trial examining the efficacy and safety of the drug (compared to placebo) is planned to be completed in 2019. Voxelotor was also studied as a potential therapy for treatment of low oxygen levels in the blood of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients, but this program was discontinued because of a lack of clinical benefits.

Allopregnanolone is a neurosteroid metabolite of progesterone. It is an allosteric modulator of inhibitory γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA-A) receptors on neural stem cells and other cell types in the brain. Allopregnanolone has effects similar to those of other positive allosteric modulators of the GABA action at GABAA receptor such as the benzodiazepines, including anxiolytic, sedative, and anticonvulsant activity. A solution of allopregnanolone, SAGE-547 is an intravenous allosteric modulator of both synaptic and extrasynaptic γ-aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA)receptors. It's believed that allopregnanolone is effective as an anticonvulsant when prolonged seizure activity has become resistant to benzodiazepine treatment. Under the names brexanolone and SAGE-547, allopregnanolone is under development by SAGE Therapeutics as an intravenously administered drug for the treatment of super-refractory status epilepticus, postpartum depression, and essential tremor. Allopregnanolone is in phase III trials for the treatment of super-refractory status epilepticus (SRSE) and postpartum depression.

Diphencyprone (DPCP) is a potent topical sensitizing agent that has been used since the late 1970s by physicians for the treatment of alopecia areata (AA), viral warts (human papillomavirus) and cutaneous metastases of melanoma. Although to date the compound is not approved as a drug by the FDA or EMA, physicians have continued to use DPCP because of its proven effects in these dermatological conditions. Diphenylcyclopropenone acts as a local irritant, triggering a local sensitization. It triggers an immune response that opposes the action of the autoreactive cells that otherwise cause hair loss. The efficacy of DPCP has generally been ascribed to immunological reactions by the host. Inducing inflammation with a contact sensitizer is counterintuitive to treating AA, an autoimmune disorder. Studies using microarray and miRNA profiling may provide information about how DPCP induces inflammation in human skin at different times. Gene targets and microRNAs identified through these data may be modulated by an RNA interference approach to enhance DPCP efficacy and response rates

Rifamycin SV is a derivative of antibiotic rifamycin B (the natural fermentation product of S. mediterranei broths). The primary target of rifampicin on whole bacteria is the synthesis of RNA. Rifamycin belongs to the ansamycin class of antibacterial drugs and acts by inhibiting the beta subunit of the bacterial DNA-dependent RNA polymerase, blocking one of the steps in DNA transcription. This results in inhibition of bacterial synthesis and consequently growth of bacteria. Rifampicin exhibits bactericidal activity on Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and on mycobacteria. Rifamycin SV MMX® (AEMCOLO), a non-absorbable rifamycin antibiotic formulated using the multi-matrix system, was designed to exhibit its pharmacological action on the distal small intestine and colon. AEMCOLO is indicated for the treatment of travelers’ diarrhea (TD) caused by non-invasive strains of Escherichia coli in adults.

Copanlisib, developed by Bayer, is a phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor with potential antineoplastic activity. Copanlisib inhibits the activation of the PI3K signaling pathway, which may result in inhibition of tumor cell growth and survival in susceptible tumor cell populations. Activation of the PI3K signaling pathway is frequently associated with tumorigenesis and dysregulated PI3K signaling may contribute to tumor resistance to a variety of antineoplastic agents. Copanlisib is currently under Phase II/III clinical trials for the treatment of non-Hodgkin lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Ombitasvir (ABT-267) is an antiviral drug for the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Ombitasvir is a potent inhibitor of the hepatitis C virus protein NS5A, has favorable pharmacokinetic characteristics and is active in the picomolar range against genotype 1 - 6. In 2015, it was approved by FDA for use in combination with paritaprevir, ritonavir and dasabuvir in the product Viekira Pak for the treatment of HCV genotype 1.

Panobinostat is an oral deacetylace (DAC) inhibitor approved on February 23, 2015 by the FDA for the treatment of multiple myeloma. The approval was accelerated based on progression-free survival, therefore confirmatory trials by the sponsor to demonstrate clinical efficacy in multiple myeloma treatment are in progress of being conducted. Panobinostat is marketed by Novartis under the brand name Farydak. Panobinostat is a deacetylase (DAC) inhibitor. DACs, also known as histone DACs (HDAC), are responsible for regulating the acetylation of about 1750 proteins in the body; their functions are involved in many biological processes including DNA replication and repair, chromatin remodelling, transcription of genes, progression of the cell-cycle, protein degradation and cytoskeletal reorganization. In multiple myeloma, there is an overexpression of DAC proteins. Panobinostat inhibits class I (HDACs 1, 2, 3, 8), class II (HDACs 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10) and class IV (HDAC 11) proteins. Panobinostat's antitumor activity is believed to be attributed to epigenetic modulation of gene expression and inhibition of protein metabolism. Panobinostat also exhibits cytotoxic synergy with bortezomib, a proteasome inhibitor concurrently used in treatment of multiple myeloma.

Dasabuvir is a non-nucleoside inhibitor of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS5B palm polymerase inhibitor. It is used in the treatment of adult patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection in combination with ombitasvir, paritaprevir, and ritonavir as the combination product Viekira Pak. Viekira PAK combines three direct-acting antiviral agents with distinct mechanisms of action and non-overlapping resistance profiles to target HCV at multiple steps in the viral lifecycle. Dasabuvir is extensively evaluated in large clinical trials and shown excellent sustained virological response among hepatitis C virus genotype1 patient population in combination with other oral direct acting antivirals, with good safety profile and tolerance.

Paritaprevir is a potent inhibitor of the NS3/4A protease that rapidly and consistently suppresses HCV. Paritaprevir is metabolized by the Cytochrome P450 isoform 3A (CYP3A); therefore, ritonavir was used concurrently to increase plasma concentrations and to prolong the half-life of this agent allowing for once-daily dosing. Several antiviral regimens combining paritaprevir with other agents have shown impressive results, tolerable side effects, and importantly, provided support of ‘all-oral’ interferon-free regimens against HCV. Paritaprevir monotherapy is discontinued now but paritaprevir is used as a component of Viekira Pak and Technivie for the treatment of patients with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.

Lorcaserin, currently marketed under the trade name Belviq and previously Lorqess during development, is a weight-loss drug developed by Arena Pharmaceuticals. Lorcaserin is a selective 5-HT2C receptor agonist, and in vitro testing of the drug showed reasonable selectivity for 5-HT2C over other related targets. 5-HT2C receptors are located almost exclusively in the brain, and can be found in the choroid plexus, cortex, hippocampus, cerebellum, amygdala, thalamus, and hypothalamus. The activation of 5-HT2C receptors in the hypothalamus is supposed to activate proopiomelanocortin (POMC) production and consequently promote weight loss through satiety. This hypothesis is supported by clinical trials and other studies. While it is generally thought that 5-HT2C receptors help to regulate appetite as well as mood, and endocrine secretion, the exact mechanism of appetite regulation is not yet known. Lorcaserin has shown 100x selectivity for 5-HT2C versus the closely related 5-HT2B receptor, and 17x selectivity over the 5-HT2A receptor