Napabucasin (BBI608) is an orally administered small molecule that blocks stem cell activity in cancer cells by targeting the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 pathway, which is over-activated in many types of cancer and has been shown to be an important pathway in cancer stem cell-mediated propagation of cancer. Napabucasin has already shown promising efficacy on different cancer types, both as a monotherapy and in combination with conventional chemotherapeutic agents. Early-phase trials have shown promising anti-tumor efficacy when patients are treated with napabucasin in combination with standard chemotherapy agents, and preclinical results suggest that napabucasin can synergize with chemotherapy agents, such as paclitaxel, to potentially overcome drug resistance. Encouraging phase Ib/II trial results warrant further clinical study with napabucasin and paclitaxel combination therapy, especially in malignancies where there is an urgent and unmet need for effective therapeutics, such as in patients with advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

LADARIXIN is a dual inhibitor of chemokine receptors CXCR1 and CXCR2. It inhibits human polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) migration to chemokine CXCL8 in vitro and prevents PMN infiltration and tissue damage in several models of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion in vivo. It is under development for the treatment of type 1 diabetes.

CAT-1004 (Edasalonexent)is an orally administered small molecule designed to inhibit NF-κB, which is activated from infancy in Duchenne muscular dystrophy and is central to causing muscle damage and preventing muscle regeneration. Structurally CAT-1004 represents covalently links salicylic acid and docosahexaenoic acid -- two compounds known to inhibit NF-κB. . In a Phase 1 study in adults, NF-κB activity in peripheral mononuclear cells was inhibited following a single dose of edasalonexent but not by equimolar doses of salicylic acid and docosahexaenoic acid. Chronic activation of NF-κB is a key driver of muscle degeneration and suppression of muscle regeneration in Duchenne muscular dystrophy, which occurs early in the disease process and precedes loss of muscle function. Salicylic acid prevents NF-κB mediated muscle atrophy and decreases protein catabolism in muscle. Docosahexaenoic acid has been shown to upregulate anti-inflammatory pathways and suppress pro-inflammatory pathways via modulation of NF-κB activity. Edasalonexent is endocytosed and hydrolyzed by intracellular fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) to release salicylic acid and DHA in the intracellular compartment, thus having a potential advantage of selectively delivering higher doses in target muscle cells where FAAH is abundant.

Flosfluridine tidoxil, a thymidylate synthase inhibitor that was developed for the treatment of actinic keratosis and solid tumors, e.g. breast and colorectal cancers. These studies were suspended and information about the further development of this drug is not available.

Parafluorofentanyl is a selective mu-opioid agonist, an analog of fentanyl, developed by Janssen. The drug was not developed for human use but is produced and abused illegally.

MPEP (2-methyl-6-(phenylethynyl)pyridine) was one of the first compounds found to act a selective antagonist for the metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype mGluR5. It was under development by Novartis in the late 1990's. MPEP was found to produce neuroprotective effects following acute brain injury in animals. MPEP was also found to have positive effects on animal models of depression, anxiety and morphine withdrawl.

Avelestat, also known as AZD9668, is a novel, oral inhibitor of neutrophil elastase (NE), an enzyme implicated in the signs, symptoms, and disease progression in NE-driven respiratory diseases such as bronchiectasis, Cystic Fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease via its role in the inflammatory process, mucus overproduction, and lung tissue damage. Its development was discontinued due to unknown reasons. Nevertheless, this drug in the phase II of clinical trial as adjunctive therapy in improving insulin sensitivity of insulin-resistant type 2 diabetic subjects. The drug's clinical profile suggests that it will be well tolerated with few, if any, side effects, and the existence of simple methods that can indirectly measure its activity in vivo.

Midesteine (previously known as MR 889), a thiolactic acid derivative was developed as an inhibitor of the chymotrypsin and elastolytic activity of leukocyte elastase. Midesteine participated in clinical trials for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The drug is also studied to treat asthma, cystic fibrosis, and emphysema. However, all these studies were discontinued.

Arctigenin is a plant lignan extracted from Arctium lappa that has been shown to have estrogenic properties. In ER-positive MCF-7 cells, arctigenin efficiently inhibited 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced cell migration and invasion. Arctigenin confers anti-metastatic effects by inhibiting MMP-9 and uPA via the Akt, NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways on breast cancer, regardless of ER expression. Intake of arctigenin could be an effective supplement for breast cancer patients. Arctigenin is a phenylpropanoid dibenzylbutyrolactone lignan compound possessing antitumor, anti-inflammatory, anti-influenza, antioxidant, antibacterial, and hypoglycaemic activities. Arctigenin exhibited significant antiproliferative activity against CCRF-CEM cells after 72 h treatment with IC50 values of 1.21 ± 0.15 um. It arrested CCRF-CEM cells in the S phase. It induced apoptosis in CCRF-CEM cells in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Arctigenin is a good candidate for the development of novel agents against T-cell lymphoma. Arctigenin has been found to act as an agonist of adiponectin receptor 1 (AdipoR1). Arctigenin is an antagonist of MR and effectively decreases the Na/K-ATPase 1 gene expression, thus highlighting its potential as an anti-hypertensive drug lead compound.