Pituxate is the antitussive and bronchospasmolytic agent.

Plevitrexed is a rationally designed, orally bioavailable, nonpolyglutamatable quinazoline antifolate that is a selective inhibitor of thymidylate synthase with potent antineoplastic activity and the ability to overcome antifolate resistance due to decreased folylpolyglutamate synthetase activity. It also features a lower toxicity than polyglutamatable thymidylate synthase inhibitors, presumably due to a lesser cellular retention. Plevitrexed is primarily transported into the cells via reduced folate carrier and selectively binds to the folate-binding site of thymidylate synthase with high affinity. Plevitrexed was assessed and in preclinical studies against a panel of human ovarian cancer cell lines and in several phase II clinical studies for the treatment of various solid cancers including colorectal, gastric, pancreatic and ovarian cancer. The combination of plevitrexed and carboplatin is well tolerated with no significant pharmacokinetic interaction between the two drugs - antitumor activity in platinum-pretreated gynecological malignancy was demonstrated.

GPI-1485 belongs to a class of small molecule compounds called neuroimmunophilin ligands. This class of compounds has been shown to repair and regenerate damaged nerves without affecting normal, healthy nerves. GPI-1485 binds to FK-506-binding proteins. Phase 2 studies have been conducted to assess whether GPI-1485 is able to delay or stop disease progression and improve symptoms in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), and whether GPI-1485 can help preserve erectile function after prostatectomy.

Cethromycin is a ketolide antibiotic derived from erythromycin A being investigated for use in community-acquired pneumonia and other respiratory tract infections. Cethromycin possesses reliable activity against the bacteria most commonly associated with community-acquired pneumonia including S. pneumoniae, H. influenzae, M. catarrhalis, M. pneumoniae, C. pneumoniae, and L. pneumophila. Unlike fluoroquinolones, cethromycin has a narrower spectrum of activity against gram-negative bacteria, which may reduce the risk of collateral damage and the incidence of Clostridium difficile infection. It offers an advantage over telithromycin in that hepatotoxicity does not seem to be a concern. The FDA denied approval of cethromycin for the treatment of CAP in 2009, requesting more efficacy data.

MKC-1 is an orally available cell cycle inhibitor with downstream targets that include tubulin and the importin-β family. MKC-1 has shown broad antitumor activity in preclinical models. MKC-1 and its metabolites inhibit tubulin polymerization, blocking the formation of the mitotic spindle, which may result in cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase and apoptosis. In addition, this agent has been shown to inhibit the activities of the oncogenic kinase Akt, the mTOR pathway, and importin-beta, a protein essential to the transport of other proteins from the cytosol into the nucleus. MKC-1 had been in phase II clinical trials for the treatment of ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer, pancreatic cancer and breast cancer. This compound was originally discovered by Roche, then licensed to EntreMed (now CASI Pharmaceuticals) the exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialize. However, no recent development has been reported.

Darusentan is an orally active, propanoic acid-based endothelin receptor antagonist (ERA) that selectively blocks endothelin-1 (ET-1) binding to the endothelin type-A (ETA) receptor. Darusentan exhibited subnanomolar binding affinity and approximately 1000-fold selectivity for the ETA receptor in binding experiments conducted in vitro under steady-state conditions. Darusentan is orally bioavailable and, when administered to humans, maximum plasma concentrations are observed within 1–2 h post dosing. The mean elimination half-life is relatively long (>15 h), which is consistent with once-daily dosing. Darusentan is primarily glucuronidated by Phase II enzymes in the liver, and the major route of elimination of Darusentan and its metabolites is via the bile. Some glucuronidated metabolites of Darusentan are also excreted in the urine. Darusentan doses up to 300 mg/day were well tolerated and associated with a manageable safety profile in patients with resistant hypertension (RHTN). The most frequently reported adverse events in Ddarusentan-treated subjects were peripheral edema (17%) and headache (11%), which were mostly mild or moderate in severity. Other commonly reported adverse events in the Darusentan treatment group were sinusitis (8%), dizziness (7%), upper respiratory tract infection (5%) and gastroenteritis (5%). In phase III clinical trial the mean reductions in clinic systolic and diastolic blood pressures were 9/5 mm Hg with placebo, 17/10 mm Hg with Darusentan 50 mg, 18/10 mm Hg with Darusentan 100 mg, and 18/11 mm Hg with Darusentan 300 mg. Unfortunately, phase III clinical trial evaluating Darusentan did not achieve its co-primary efficacy endpoints of achieving a change in systolic and diastolic blood pressure after 14 weeks compared to a placebo. Perhaps for this reason, shortly after the top-line results of this study became known, the sponsor announced that Darusentan would not be developed further for resistant hypertension.

Namirotene [CBS-211A] is a retinoic acid analogue which was undergoing phase II trials with Chauvin in France as 0.02% eye drops for corneal ulcer. It was discontinued later. Namirotene is a synthetic analogue of retinoic acid with differentiation inducing and potential antineoplastic activities. Like other retinoic acid agents, namirotene binds to and activates retinoic acid receptors (RARs), thereby altering the expression of certain genes leading to cell differentiation and decreased cell proliferation in susceptible cells. When it was associated with 1 alpha,25(OH)2D3, CBS-211A strongly potentiated the 1 alpha,25(OH)2D3-induced inhibition of U937 cell proliferation and caused a dramatic increase in their differentiation toward monocytes/macrophages. The co-inducing effect of CBS-211A was restricted to U937 cells. Our data suggest that CBS-211A may have therapeutic implications in the treatment of certain kinds of myelomonocytic leukemia. CBS-211A also provides an interesting tool to understand the mechanisms involved in the differentiation of myelomonocytic cells.

Lobendazole is a metabolite of veterinary drug thiophanate. Lobendazole possesses teratogenic effect.

Pirodavir (R77975) (ethyl 4-[2-(1-[6-methyl-3-pyridazinyl]-4-piperidinyl)ethoxy]benzoate) and its predecessor (R61837) belong to a series of pyridazine analogues developed by the Janssen Research Foundation. Compared to R61837, pirodavir was 500-fold more potent as an antiviral in vitro, inhibiting 80% of 100 rhinovirus serotypes tested at concentration of 0.064 mg/mL or less. Pirodavir acts at an early stage of the viral replication cycle (up to 40 min after infection) and reduces the yield of selected rhinoviruses 1,000- to 100,000-fold in a single round of replication. The mode of action appears to be serotype specific, since pirodavir was able to inhibit the adsorption of human rhinovirus 9 but not that of human rhinovirus 1A. Pirodavir is a novel capsid-binding antipicornavirus agent with potent in vitro activity against both group A and group B rhinovirus serotypes.

Stirimazole is an imidazole derivative patented by Lilly Industries Ltd. as an antiparasitic agent effective against Trypanosoma congolense, T. gambiense, T. rhodesiense, and T. cruzi. Stirimazole inhibited Trichomonas vaginalis in vitro at 0.225 μg/ml and eliminated infected lesions in mice at 20 mg/kg orally. Stirimazole eliminated intestinal amebiasis in rats at 50 mg/kg orally and hepatic amebiasis in hamsters at 100 mg/kg i.p. Stirimazole was curative against Trypanosoma rhodesiense, Trypanosoma cruzi, Trypanosoma gambiense, and Trypanosoma congolense in mice at 25, 100, 12.5, and 25 mg/kg (4 times, i.p.), respectively, and against Trypanosoma vivax in calves at 25 mg/kg i.v.