Discovery of (BMS-986172) as a Highly Potent MGAT2 Inhibitor that Achieved Targeted Efficacious Exposures at a Low Human Dose for the Treatment of Metabolic Disorders.

A series of dihydropyridinone (DHP) compounds was prepared and evaluated for MGAT2 activity. The efforts led to the identification of novel tetrazolones with potent MGAT2 inhibitory activity and favorable profiles. Further tests of select analogues in mouse models revealed significant reduction in food intake and body weight.

Discovery of novel pyridinones as MGAT2 inhibitors for the treatment of metabolic disorders.

Inhibition of monoacylglycerol transferase 2 (MGAT2) has recently emerged as a potential therapeutic strategy for the treatment of metabolic diseases such as obesity, diabetes and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Metabolism studies with our clinical lead (1) suggested variability in in vitro glucuronidation rates in liver microsomes across species, which made projection of human doses challenging. In addition, the observation of deconjugation of the C3-C4 double bond in the dihydropyridinone ring of 1 in solution had the potential to complicate its clinical development.

Screening Hit to Clinical Candidate: Discovery of BMS-963272, a Potent, Selective MGAT2 Inhibitor for the Treatment of Metabolic Disorders.

MGAT2 inhibition is a potential therapeutic approach for the treatment of metabolic disorders. High-throughput screening of the BMS internal compound collection identified the aryl dihydropyridinone compound (hMGAT2 IC = 175 nM) as a hit. Compound had moderate potency against human MGAT2, was inactive vs mouse MGAT2 and had poor microsomal metabolic stability.

Utilization of an Active Site Mutant Receptor for the Identification of Potent and Selective Atypical 5-HT Receptor Agonists.

Agonism of the 5-HT receptor represents one of the most well-studied and clinically proven mechanisms for pharmacological weight reduction. Selectivity over the closely related 5-HT and 5-HT receptors is critical as their activation has been shown to lead to undesirable side effects and major safety concerns. In this communication, we report the development of a new screening paradigm that utilizes an active site mutant D134A (D3.

An Enantiomer of an Oral Small-Molecule TSH Receptor Agonist Exhibits Improved Pharmacologic Properties.

We are developing an orally available small-molecule, allosteric TSH receptor (TSHR) agonist for follow-up diagnostics of patients with thyroid cancer. The agonist C2 (NCGC00161870) that we have studied so far is a racemic mixture containing equal amounts of two enantiomers, E1 and E2. As enantiomers of many drugs exhibit different pharmacologic properties, we assessed the properties of E1 and E2.

Non-basic azolotriazinone MCHR1 antagonists for the treatment of obesity: An empirical brain-exposures-driven candidate selection for in vivo efficacy studies.

Non-basic azolotriazinones were explored using an empirical free brain exposures-driven approach to identify potent MCHR1 antagonists for evaluation in in vivo efficacy studies. An optimized lead from this series, 1j (rMCHR1 Ki=1.8 nM), demonstrated a 6.

Dihydropyrrolopyrazol-6-one MCHR1 antagonists for the treatment of obesity: Insights on in vivo efficacy from a novel FLIPR assay setup.

Our investigation of the structure-activity and structure-liability relationships for dihydropyrrolopyrazol-6-one MCHR1 antagonists revealed that off-rate characteristics, inferred from potencies in a FLIPR assay following a 2 h incubation, can impact in vivo efficacy. The in vitro and exposure profiles of dihydropyrrolopyrazol-6-ones 1b and 1e were comparable to that of the thienopyrimidinone counterparts 41 and 43 except for a much faster MCHR1 apparent off-rate. The greatly diminished dihydropyrrolopyrazol-6-one anti-obesity response may be the consequence of this rapid off-rate.

Identification of a nonbasic melanin hormone receptor 1 antagonist as an antiobesity clinical candidate.

Identification of MCHR1 antagonists with a preclinical safety profile to support clinical evaluation as antiobesity agents has been a challenge. Our finding that a basic moiety is not required for MCHR1 antagonists to achieve high affinity allowed us to explore structures less prone to off-target activities such as hERG inhibition. We report the SAR evolution of hydroxylated thienopyrimidinone ethers culminating in the identification of 27 (BMS-819881), which entered obesity clinical trials as the phosphate ester prodrug 35 (BMS-830216).

Reductions in log P improved protein binding and clearance predictions enabling the prospective design of cannabinoid receptor (CB1) antagonists with desired pharmacokinetic properties.

Several strategies have been employed to reduce the long in vivo half-life of our lead CB1 antagonist, triazolopyridazinone 3, to differentiate the pharmacokinetic profile versus the lead clinical compounds. An in vitro and in vivo clearance data set revealed a lack of correlation; however, when compounds with <5% free fraction were excluded, a more predictable correlation was observed. Compounds with log P between 3 and 4 were likely to have significant free fraction, so we designed compounds in this range to give more predictable clearance values.

Synthesis and SAR of potent and selective tetrahydropyrazinoisoquinolinone 5-HT(2C) receptor agonists.

The 5-HT2C receptor has been implicated as a critical regulator of appetite. Small molecule activation of the 5-HT2C receptor has been shown to affect food intake and regulate body weight gain in rodent models and more recently in human clinical trials. Therefore, 5-HT2C is a well validated target for anti-obesity therapy.

Synthesis and SAR of 2,3,3a,4-tetrahydro-1H-pyrrolo[3,4-c]isoquinolin-5(9bH)-ones as 5-HT2C receptor agonists.

A series of 2,3,3a,4-tetrahydro-1H-pyrrolo[3,4-c]isoquinolin-5(9bH)-ones is described, several examples of which exhibit potent 5-HT(2C) agonism with excellent selectivity over the closely related 5-HT(2A) and 5-HT(2B) receptors. Compounds such as 38 and 44 were shown to be effective in reducing food intake in an acute rat feeding model.

Tricyclic dihydroquinazolinones as novel 5-HT2C selective and orally efficacious anti-obesity agents.

Agonists of the 5-HT(2C) receptor have been shown to suppress appetite and reduce body weight in animal models as well as in humans. However, agonism of the related 5-HT(2B) receptor has been associated with valvular heart disease. Synthesis and biological evaluation of a series of novel and highly selective dihydroquinazolinone-derived 5-HT(2C) agonists with no detectable agonism of the 5-HT(2B) receptor is described.

Discovery of pyrazine carboxamide CB1 antagonists: the introduction of a hydroxyl group improves the pharmaceutical properties and in vivo efficacy of the series.

Structure-activity relationships for a series of pyrazine carboxamide CB1 antagonists are reported. Pharmaceutical properties of the series are improved via inclusion of hydroxyl-containing sidechains. This structural modification sufficiently improved ADME properties of an orally inactive series such that food intake reduction was achieved in rat feeding models.

Discovery of (R)-9-ethyl-1,3,4,10b-tetrahydro-7-trifluoromethylpyrazino[2,1-a]isoindol- 6(2H)-one, a selective, orally active agonist of the 5-HT(2C) receptor.

Robust pharmaceutical treatment of obesity has been limited by the undesirable side-effect profile of currently marketed therapies. This paper describes the synthesis and optimization of a new class of pyrazinoisoindolone-containing, selective 5-HT2C agonists as antiobesity agents. Key to optimization of the pyrazinoisoindolone core was the identification of the appropriate substitution pattern and functional groups which led to the discovery of (R)-9-ethyl-1,3,4,10b-tetrahydro-7-trifluoromethylpyrazino[2,1-a]isoindol-6(2H)-one (58), a 5-HT2C agonist with >300-fold functional selectivity over 5-HT2B and >70-fold functional selectivity over 5-HT2A.

In vivo pharmacological characterization of indiplon, a novel pyrazolopyrimidine sedative-hypnotic.

Indiplon (NBI 34060; N-methyl-N-[3-[3-(2-thienylcarbonyl)-pyrazolo[1,5-alpha]pyrimidin-7-yl]phenyl]acetamide), a novel pyrazolopyrimidine and high-affinity allosteric potentiator of GABA(A) receptor function, was profiled for its effects in rodents after oral administration. In mice, indiplon inhibited locomotor activity (ED(50) = 2.7 mg/kg p.