Discovery of PF-5190457, a Potent, Selective, and Orally Bioavailable Ghrelin Receptor Inverse Agonist Clinical Candidate

  • ACS Med Chem Lett. 2014 Feb 24;5(5):474-9. doi: 10.1021/ml400473x.
Samit K Bhattacharya  1 Kim Andrews  1 Ramsay Beveridge  1 Kimberly O Cameron  1 Chiliu Chen  1 Matthew Dunn  1 Dilinie Fernando  1 Hua Gao  1 David Hepworth  1 V Margaret Jackson  1 Vishal Khot  1 Jimmy Kong  1 Rachel E Kosa  1 Kimberly Lapham  1 Paula M Loria  1 Allyn T Londregan  1 Kim F McClure  1 Suvi T M Orr  1 Jigna Patel  1 Colin Rose  1 James Saenz  1 Ingrid A Stock  1 Gregory Storer  1 Maria VanVolkenburg  1 Derek Vrieze  1 Guoqiang Wang  1 Jun Xiao  1 Yingxin Zhang  1
Affiliations
  • 1. Worldwide Medicinal Chemistry, Cardiovascular and Metabolic Research Unit, Pharmacokinetics, Dynamics, and Metabolism, Primary Pharmacology Group, and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pfizer Global Research and Development , 620 Memorial Drive, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States.
Abstract

The identification of potent, highly selective orally bioavailable ghrelin receptor inverse agonists from a spiro-azetidino-piperidine series is described. Examples from this series have promising in vivo pharmacokinetics and increase glucose-stimulated Insulin secretion in human whole and dispersed islets. A physicochemistry-based strategy to increase lipophilic efficiency for ghrelin receptor potency and retain low clearance and satisfactory permeability while reducing off-target pharmacology led to the discovery of 16h. Compound 16h has a superior balance of ghrelin receptor pharmacology and off-target selectivity. On the basis of its promising pharmacological and safety profile, 16h was advanced to human clinical trials.

Keywords
Ghrelin; PF-5190457; diabetes; ghrelin receptor antagonist; ghrelin receptor inverse agonist.
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