Carubicin (also known as Carminomycin) is an anthracycline antineoplastic antibiotic isolated from the bacterium Actinomadura carminata. Carubicin intercalates into DNA and interacts with topoisomerase II, thereby inhibiting DNA replication and repair and RNA and protein synthesis. The drug is active against a variety of experimental tumors. Pharmacology studies in animals revealed that the drug bound largely to serum proteins and that it was widely distributed. In clinical trials The main toxic effect was myelosuppression but gastrointestinal intolerance and alopecia were also reported. Objective partial responses were seen in two of seven previously untreated patients with non-small cell lung cancer and one of three patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck previously untreated with chemotherapy.

Irosustat is a first-generation, orally active, irreversible steroid sulfatase inhibitor. It did not stimulate the growth of estrogen-sensitive MCF-7 breast cells in vitro. Irosustat was in phase II clinical trials for the treatment of breast cancer and endometrial cancer and phase I clinical trial for the treatment of prostate cancer. However, this research has been discontinued.

Thiarabine (also known as OSI-7836) is a new-generation deoxycytidine nucleoside analog with potent anticancer activity. As with other nucleoside analogs, Thiarabine is a prodrug and requires intracellular phosphorylation by deoxycytidine kinase to the active form (Thiarabine-triphosphate), which then competes with deoxycytidine for incorporation into DNA resulting in cell death. In xenograft studies using lung, colon, pancreatic, breast, and melanoma models, Thiarabine shows superior antitumor activity in most of these tumors, particularly in lung and pancreatic models, compared with gemcitabine, cisplatin, and paclitaxel. Thiarabine seems to be less schedule dependent than gemcitabine, showing antitumor activity with a variety of schedules in preclinical studies. In clinical trials, Thiarabine administration was associated with excessive fatigue, and despite changes in its schedule and duration of administration.

Alisertib (MLN8237) is an orally available selective aurora A kinase inhibitor developed by Takeda. Alisertib inhibited AAK over ABK with a selectivity of more than 200-fold in cells and produced a dose-dependent decrease in bipolar and aligned chromosomes in the HCT-116 xenograft model, a phenotype consistent with AAK inhibition. Alisertib inhibited proliferation of human tumor cell lines in vitro and produced tumor growth inhibition in solid tumor xenograft models and regressions in in vivo lymphoma models. It is currently in phase II clinical trials for acute myeloid leukaemia; B cell lymphoma; brain cancer; mesothelioma; prostate cancer; small cell lung cancer.

Finrozole is a nonsteroidal competitive aromatase inhibitor that is being evaluated in Phase II trials for the treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms associated with reduced androgen/estrogen ratio in aging males associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia. But this research was discontinued in 2005. In dimethylbenzanthracene-induced rat mammary carcinoma model, Finrozole causes regression of more than 80% of the established tumors. The hormone-dependent mammary tumors are inhibited to a level seen in ovariectomised animals.

Dinaciclib (SCH 727965) is a small molecule inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinases. Dinaciclib demostrates potent and selective inhibition of CDK2, CDK5, CDK1, and CDK9 activity. Dinaciclib inhibits cell cycle progression and proliferation in various tumor cell lines in vitro. Dinaciclib is a product of a drug discovery collaboration between Pharmacopeia (later Ligand Pharmaceuticals) and Schering-Plough (later Merck & Co.) that began in 1998. Dinaciclib showed promising effect in treating haematological malignancies and solid tumors.

Afuresertib (GSK2110183 ) is an orally bioavailable inhibitor of the serine/threonine protein kinase Akt (protein kinase B) with potential antineoplastic activity. Afuresertib binds to and inhibits the activity of Akt, which may result in inhibition of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and tumor cell proliferation and the induction of tumor cell apoptosis. Activation of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway is frequently associated with tumorigenesis and dysregulated PI3K/Akt signaling may contribute to tumor resistance to a variety of antineoplastic agents. Preclinically, AKT inhibition by afuresertib can reverse platinum resistance in ovarian cancer cell lines isolated from patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer. Afuresertib is well tolerated and demonstrates clinical activity as monotherapy in heavily pretreated MM patients. Is in phase II clinical trials for Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia; Haematological malignancies; Histiocytosis.

Temperocol is an investigative anti-cancer drug that inhibits the expression of survivin and CDK-1; discovered at Johns Hopkins University and under development by Erimos Pharmaceuticals. It has been tested in phase I/II clinical trials for Leukemia, and several forms of neoplasms including gliomas. Results of these clinical trials have shown promise, however treatment regimes produce several toxic side effects that need to be balanced against efficacy. Temperocol is a fully methylated derivative of the natural product Nordihydroguaiaretic acid.

Fostriecin, an antitumor antibiotic produced by Streptomyces pulveraceus, is a strong inhibitor of serine/threonine protein phosphatases type 2A and type 4, and inhibits the catalytic activity of partially purified Topo II (type II topoisomerase) in a non-competitive manner.

Volasertib (BI 6727), a dihydropteridinone derivative, is a small-molecule cell cycle inhibitor of polo-like kinase-1 (PLK-1). Volasertib induces G2-M arrest and induction of apoptosis in cancer cells and potently inhibits tumor growth in xenograft models. Boehringer Ingelheim is developing intravenously administered volasertib for the treatment of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia (CMML), non-small cell lung cancer, urogenital cancer, ovarian cancer and solid tumours.