Galunisertib is a potent inhibitor of TGF beta type 1 receptor. The drug is under clinical development for the treatment of different cancers: pancreatic, hepatocellular, breast, rectal, prostate etc. and reached phase 2/3 in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes.

Omigapil (CGP 3466 or TCH346) is a structurally related analog of R-(-)-deprenyl that exhibits virtually no monoamine oxidase type B inhibiting activity but is neuroprotective in the picomolar concentration range. It binds to glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and at subnanomolar concentrations prevent the S-nitrosylation of GAPDH, inhibit GAPDH-Siah binding and prevent the nuclear translocation of GAPDH. Omigapil demonstrated promising potential in the treatment of Parkinson's disease and motoneuron disease in animal models, however, it did not show efficacy in clinical trials. Omigapil is in development for the treatment of congenital muscular dystrophy.

Pentiapine is a dopamine release inhibitor. It is a tranquiliser. Pentiapine produces a dose-dependent decrease in spontaneous motor activity and blocks the morphineinduced hyperactivity. Moreover, this drug in itself has no effect on place conditioning but blocks the acquisition of morphine-induced conditioned place preference.

Lixazinone selectively inhibits the high-affinity form of cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase (type IV) isolated from human platelets with only weak effects on both the nonspecific and cyclic GMP-sensitive phosphodiesterases. The inhibitor reduces both maximum velocity and substrate affinity of the type IV enzyme. Lixazinone exhibits marked selectively for the platelet high-affinity enzyme. It also has significant inhibitory effects on cardiac membrane-bound phosphodiesterase. Lixazinone may be useful as an agent to increase cardiac output in the treatment of congestive heart failure. It is a potent PDE3 inhibitor. Lixazinone suppresses folic acid-induced proliferation of rat tubular epithelial cells in vivo.

Carvotroline [WY 47791] is a novel γ-carboline derivative with a preclinical profile suggestive of antipsychotic activity. Carvotroline has an affinity for the dopamine D2 receptor and cortical 5-HT2 receptor that is ten times greater than serotonin. Carvotroline administration to rats leads to a decrease of plasma corticosterone levels and demonstrated a moderating effect on the rotational-stress induced rise in plasma corticosterone levels.

Afeletecan (Bay 38-3441) is a camptothecin glycoconjugate which stabilizes the active lactone form of camptothecin and allows selective uptake into tumor cells. Afeletecan is a topoisomerase inhibitor. Afeletecan was in phase I clinical trials with Bayer for the treatment of cancer; however, development appears to have been discontinued.

Gevotroline (WY 47,384) is an atypical antipsychotic compound, which was developed for use in the treatment of schizophrenia. Gevotroline has some clinical efficacy, and equal affinity for D2 (dopamine) and 5-HT2 (serotonin) receptors. Gevotroline was also found to have affinity for sigma receptors, which are thought to be involved in certain neuropsychiatric disorders (because of their ability to regulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis), explaining the interest in this compound for therapeutic use in schizophrenia. Gevoltrine is thought to increase activity in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis to elevate levels of corticosterone in plasma. Gevotroline is well tolerated and phase II clinical trials have been conducted, but the compound was never marketed.

Enclomiphene (Androxal), in development by Repros Therapeutics Inc, is a non-steroidal estrogen receptor antagonist that promotes gonadotropin-dependent testosterone secretion by the testes. Enclomiphene constitutes the trans-stereoisomer of clomiphene citrate, a drug that has been widely prescribed for several decades for the treatment of female ovulatory dysfunction. Because of the antagonistic effects of enclomiphene, the drug has the potential to increase serum testosterone levels in men with secondary hypogonadism by restoring physiological endogenous testosterone secretion while maintaining testicular volume and, potentially, spermatogenesis. In clinical trials conducted to date, enclomiphene demonstrated significant efficacy in the physiological restoration of testosterone levels in males with secondary hypogonadism. The compound also exhibited an unanticipated favorable effect on fasting plasma glucose; this result has been accompanied by rapidly accumulating evidence from other researchers for a bidirectional relationship between low serum testosterone and obesity/metabolic syndrome (syndrome X) in men.

Azanator (previously known as Sch 15280), a bronchodilator and an antihistamine drug that acts via a non-adrenergic mechanism to block both histaminergically and cholinergically mediated responses in the tracheobronchial tree. Besides, the drug inhibits cyclic CMP phosphodiesterase. Azanator can have a therapeutic application in cases of chronic cough and cystic fibrosis in man.

Dexniguldipine (B8509-035, (-)-(R)-niguldipine) is a new dihydropyridine derivative, that exerts selective antiproliferative activity in a variety of tumor models and, in addition, has a high potency in overcoming multidrug resistance. Dexniguldipine is ( - )-(R)-enantiomer of niguldipine, of which the ( )-(S)-enantiomer shows pronounced cardiovascular hypotensive activity due to its high affinity for the voltage-dependent Ca2 channel. As compared with the (S)-enantiomer, the (R)-enantiomer has a 40-fold lower affinity for the Ca 2 channel and, accordingly, only minimal hypotensive activity in animal pharmacology models. Dexniguldipine have shown antiproliferative activity in several tumor cell lines, but the concentrations necessary to inhibit growth have varied by several orders of magnitude between cell lines. Initial results of preclinical investigations for the evaluation of the mechanism of its antiproliferative activity demonstrate that dexniguldipine interferes with intracellular signal transduction by affecting phosphoinositol pathways, protein kinase C expression, and intracellular Ca 2 metabolism. In a series of human tumor xenografts in vitro, dexniguldipine demonstrated selective antiproliferative activity against several tumor types, e.g., melanoma and renal-cell carcinoma. Striking results were obtained in a hamster model, in which neuroendocrine lung tumors could be completely eradicated by 20 weeks of oral treatment with 32.5mg/kg dexniguldipine, whereas Clara-cell-type lung tumors were not affected. In in vitro studies, dexniguldipine has been found to bind to P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and to enhance the cytotoxicity of chemotherapeutic agents such as doxorubicin and etoposide in several cell lines The synergistic effect may well be associated with the reversal of multidrug resistance (MDR) related to the activity of P-gp. In the clinical therapy of cancer, resistance to many cytostatic drugs is a major cause of treatment failure. However, the high potency of dexniguldipine (about 10-fold as compared with that of verapamil in vitro) and its low cardiovascular activity provide the opportunity to achieve blood or tumor concentrations that might be high enough to overcome Mdr 1 resistance in patients without producing dose-limiting cardiovascular effects.