ARUNDIC ACID (ONO-2506) is an enantiomeric, three carbon atom homolog of valproic acid under development by ONO Pharmaceutical for the potential treatment of stroke, as well as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Parkinson's disease. The injectable formulation (Proglia) is finished phase III trials for acute-phase cerebral infarction, and the oral formulation (Cereact) is finished phase II trials in the UK for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD). ARUNDIC ACID restores normal astrocyte functions after brain damage by preventing reactive astrocytosis, by activating astrocytic GABAA receptors and suppressing GABA transferase. ARUNDIC ACID inhibits S-100β synthesis in activated cultured astrocytes. This agent has additional antiglutamate and antiinflammatory COX-2 inhibitor properties

Fasoracetam is a cognition enhancer that interacts with GABA(B) receptors, stimulates neuronal ACh receptors and modulates mGlu receptors. The drug is being tested in phase III/II of clinical trials for the treatment of Attention Deficit Disorder With Hyperactivity in people with genetic disorders impacting mGlu receptors and never been approved by FDA. Fasoracetam is also being marketed in the form of capsules for research purposes aimed at investigation of cognition and memory disorders.

Citiolone (N-acetylhomocysteine thiolactone) is an antioxidant drug used in the treatment of liver diseases.

Apaxifylline is an adenosine A1 receptor antagonist that was under investigation with Boehringer Ingelheim as a potential neuroprotective drug for the treatment of dementia. Apaxifylline was able to antagonize scopolamine-induced deficits in the rat in a memory task. A single oral application of apaxifylline 90 min before the rats received the noxious stimulus significantly attenuated the scopolamine-induced deficits observed during the retention trial of the rat in the passive avoidance paradigm. Apaxifylline treatment does not influence motility.

Bucillamine [SA96:N-(2-mercapto-2-methylpropanoyl)-L-cysteine] is a synthetic SH compound and an antirheumatic agent developed from tiopronin. It is mainly used in Japan and Korea. Activity is mediated by the two thiol groups that the molecule contains. Research done in the USA showed positive transplant preservation properties. Bucillamine has the potential to attenuate or prevent damage during myocardial infarction, cardiac surgery and organ transplantation. Bucillamine is a more potent thiol donor than other cysteine derivatives: approximately 16-fold more potent than N-acetylcysteine (Mucomyst(R)) in vivo. In addition bucillamine appears to have additional anti-inflammatory effects unrelated to its antioxidant effect. Oral bucillamine is used clinically in Asia for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. There is a strong preclinical evidence that parenteral infusion of this agent is efficacious in acute settings characterized by inflammation and oxidative stress. In Phase I human trials healthy volunteers received bucillamine at doses up to 25 mg/kg/h i.v. for 3 h and elicited no serious toxicity. On the basis of pharmacokinetic analyses of blood levels during these studies, it was concluded that bucillamine infused at i.v. doses > or =10 mg/kg/h for 3 h to humans could be expected to be therapeutically effective in myocardial infarction, organ transplantation and other acute inflammatory syndromes. Bucillamine exhibits potent antioxidant activity similar to those of trolox and ascorbic acid. It reduces the stable free radical diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). Bucillamine is a potent antioxidant which exerts its beneficial therapeutic activities in RA patients by metal chelation rather than by scavenging free radical species.

Balazipone (OR 1364), an anti-inflammatory drug that was participated in clinical trials Phase-I for Crohn's disease in Finland.

Aniracetam is a nootropic drug. It behaves as a positive modulator of AMPA-sensitive glutamate receptors. Aniracetam is clinically used in patients with mild to moderate senile dementia of the Alzheimer type. In Japan, the drug was prescribed for eight years to treat emotional disturbances, such as depressed mood and anxiety/agitation, but not memory impairment following cerebral infarction. Aniracetam (Draganon®) has been withdrawn from the Japanese market because of the unexpected failure in the latest placebo-controlled double-blind study. Animal studies demonstrated that aniracetam has clinical potential in personality disorders, anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism, negative symptoms of schizophrenia, and sleep disorders.

Oxiracetam (ISF 2522) is a water-soluble ampakine of the nootropic racetam chemical class. Oxiracetam is a positive AMPA modulator similar in mechanism and potency (but not the binding site) to both piracetam and aniracetam but may have an additional benefit of increasing glutamate, acetylcholine, and D-aspartic acid release from activated but not resting neurons. Oxiracetam has been proved as an efficient memory enhancer if taken consistently. Additionally, studies have revealed positive impacts on demented patients in the long term. Thus, the drug enhances an overall quality of life of patients suffering from ADHD, dementia, and other neurological problems. Oxiracetam is one of the most popular nootropics, well known and highly regarded for its outstanding cognitive enhancement properties and mild stimulant capability. It has also been proven to be safe and well tolerated even at high dosages, and its moderate cost, ready availability and “stackability” make it a must-have for many nootropic users.

Benzbromarone (INN) is a uricosuric agent and non-competitive inhibitor of xanthine oxidase used in the treatment of gout, especially when the first line treatment, allopurinol, fails or produces intolerable adverse effects. It is structurally related to the antiarrhythmic amiodarone. Benzbromarone was introduced in the 1970s and was viewed as having few associated serious adverse reactions. It was registered in about 20 countries throughout Asia, South America and Europe. In 2003, the drug was withdrawn by Sanofi-Synthélabo, after reports of serious hepatotoxicity, although it is still marketed in several countries by other drug companies. The withdrawal has greatly limited its availability around the world and increased difficulty in accessing it in other countries where it has never been available. Standard dosages of benzbromarone (100 mg/day) tend to produce greater hypouricaemic effects than standard doses of allopourinol (300 mg/day) or probenecid (1000 mg/day). Adverse effects associated with benzbromarone are relatively infrequent but potentially severe. Four cases of benzbromarone-induced hepatotoxicity were identified from primary literature, and eleven cases have been reported by Sanofi-Synthélabo but details are not available in the public domain. Only one of the four publicly published cases demonstrated a clear relationship between the drug and liver injury as demonstrated by rechallenge. The other three cases lacked incontrovertible evidence to support a diagnosis of benzbromarone-induced hepatotoxicity. If all the reported cases are assumed to be due to benzbromarone, the estimated risk of hepatotoxicity in Europe was approximately 1 in 17 000 patients but may be higher in Japan. Benzbromarone is a very potent inhibitor of CYP2C9. The mechanism of benzbromarone hepatotoxicity is believed to be due to its hepatic metabolism by CYP2C9 and possible effects of the parent compound or its metabolites on mitochondrial function. Benzbromarone is a benzofuran and shares structural similarities with benzarone and amiodarone, all three of which affect mitochondrial function.

Acetylcysteine amide (NACA) is a novel thiol-containing antioxidant. NACA is a modified form of its parent compound N-acetylcysteine (NAC) that is a precursor of the most abundant endogenous antioxidant, glutathione (GSH). NACA demonstrated the multiple therapeutic abilities, including antioxidant, anti-apoptotic, and anti-inflammatory properties with greater efficacy compared to its parent compound. NACA treatment significantly maintained acute mitochondrial bioenergetics and normalized GSH levels following spinal cord injury. It is a new neuroprotective drug, that might be effective at slowing down nigral neuronal degeneration and illness progression in patients with Parkinson's disease.