Selection of a respiratory syncytial virus fusion inhibitor clinical candidate. 2. Discovery of a morpholinopropylaminobenzimidazole derivative (TMC353121)
- J Med Chem. 2008 Feb 28;51(4):875-96. doi: 10.1021/jm701284j.
- 1. Medicinal Chemistry Department, Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development, Campus de Maigremont, BP 615, F-27106 Val de Reuil, France. [email protected]
A preceding paper (Bonfanti et al. J. Med Chem. 2007, 50, 4572-4584) reported the optimization of the pharmacokinetic profile of substituted benzimidazoles by reducing their tissue retention. However, the modifications that were necessary to achieve this goal also led to a significant drop in anti-RSV activity. This paper describes a molecular modeling study followed by a lead optimization program that led to the recovery of the initial potent Antiviral activity and the selection of TMC353121 as a clinical candidate.