Discovery of the Potent, Selective, Orally Available CXCR7 Antagonist ACT-1004-1239.

The chemokine receptor CXCR7, also known as ACKR3, is a seven-transmembrane G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) involved in various pathologies such as neurological diseases, autoimmune diseases, and cancers. By binding and scavenging the chemokines CXCL11 and CXCL12, CXCR7 regulates their extracellular levels. From an original high-throughput screening campaign emerged hit 3 among others. The hit-to-lead optimization led to the discovery of a novel chemotype series exemplified by the trans racemic compound 11i. This series provided CXCR7 antagonists that block CXCL11- and CXCL12-induced ß-arrestin recruitment. Further structural modifications on the trisubstituted piperidine scaffold of 11i yielded compounds with high CXCR7 antagonistic activities and balanced ADMET properties. The effort described herein culminated in the discovery of ACT-1004-1239 (28f). Biological characterization of ACT-1004-1239 demonstrated that it is a potent, insurmountable antagonist. Oral administration of ACT-1004-1239 in mice up to 100 mg/kg led to a dose-dependent increase of plasma CXCL12 concentration.

Influence of Glass Forming Ability on the Physical Stability of Supersaturated Amorphous Solid Dispersions.

In this study, the influence of the glass-forming ability (GFA) of a drug on its physical stability in a supersaturated solid dispersion was investigated. Nine drugs were classified according to their GFA using their respective critical cooling rate. Their respective solubility in poly(vinylpyrrolidone-co-vinyl acetate) 6:4 (PVPVA64) was predicted using the melting point depression method based on the Flory-Huggins lattice theory. Supersaturated amorphous solid dispersions at a level of 25% w/w drug above saturation solubility in the polymer were prepared by film-casting, and their respective physical stability at temperatures of 10°C or 20°C above or below their respective Tg (dry conditions) was monitored by the use of polarized light microscopy. This study showed that drugs with good GFA (class 3) on average have higher physical stability in supersaturated amorphous solid dispersion compared to drug with modest GFA (class 2), which in turn have higher physical stability in supersaturated amorphous solid dispersion than drugs with poor GFA (class 1). These results indicate that the GFA of a drug and its physical stability in a supersaturated amorphous solid dispersion stored at a temperature above or below its Tg are correlated.

The Influence of Polymers on the Supersaturation Potential of Poor and Good Glass Formers.

The increasing number of poorly water-soluble drug candidates in pharmaceutical development is a major challenge. Enabling techniques such as amorphization of the crystalline drug can result in supersaturation with respect to the thermodynamically most stable form of the drug, thereby possibly increasing its bioavailability after oral administration. The ease with which such crystalline drugs can be amorphized is known as their glass forming ability (GFA) and is commonly described by the critical cooling rate. In this study, the supersaturation potential, i.e., the maximum apparent degree of supersaturation, of poor and good glass formers is investigated in the absence or presence of either hypromellose acetate succinate L-grade (HPMCAS-L) or vinylpyrrolidine-vinyl acetate copolymer (PVPVA64) in fasted state simulated intestinal fluid (FaSSIF). The GFA of cinnarizine, itraconazole, ketoconazole, naproxen, phenytoin, and probenecid was determined by melt quenching the crystalline drugs to determine their respective critical cooling rate. The inherent supersaturation potential of the drugs in FaSSIF was determined by a solvent shift method where the respective drugs were dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide and then added to FaSSIF. This study showed that the poor glass formers naproxen, phenytoin, and probenecid could not supersaturate on their own, however for some drug:polymer combinations of naproxen and phenytoin, supersaturation of the drug was enabled by the polymer. In contrast, all of the good glass formers-cinnarizine, itraconazole, and ketoconazole-could supersaturate on their own. Furthermore, the maximum achievable concentration of the good glass formers was unaffected by the presence of a polymer.

Is there a correlation between the glass forming ability of a drug and its supersaturation propensity?

The use of an enabling formulation technique, such as amorphization of a poorly water-soluble crystalline drug, can result in supersaturation with respect to the crystalline form of the drug and thus potentially in a higher degree of absorption after oral administration. The ease with which such drugs can be amorphized is known as their glass forming ability (GFA). In this study, a potential correlation between GFA and supersaturation propensity is investigated. The GFA of 23 different drugs was determined by melt quenching or milling the crystalline drugs to obtain their respective amorphous forms. The inherent propensity of the drug to supersaturate, i.e. the maximal apparent degree of supersaturation (aDS), and the time until precipitation at a given aDS were determined. Supersaturation was induced via a solvent shift method where the drug was initially dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide and then added to a biorelevant medium (fasted state simulated intestinal fluid).The study showed that drugs which are good glass formers also have the potential to supersaturate to a high degree (high maximal aDS) whereas drugs that are modest glass formers supersaturate only to a low degree. This correlation was confirmed by principal component analysis, which also indicated that melt enthalpy inversely correlated with both GFA and maximal aDS. However, no correlation between GFA of a drug and the time until precipitation at a given aDS was found.

Influence of preparation pathway on the glass forming ability.

The glass forming ability (GFA), i.e. the ease of amorphization of drugs, is mostly investigated using the critical cooling rate upon melt quenching to generate an amorphous product via the thermodynamic pathway. However, amorphous materials can also be prepared via the kinetic pathway by milling. In this case, the time required to generate an amorphous product is called the minimal milling time. This study investigates the correlation of the GFA between these two pathways. Eighteen compounds were chosen and their GFA was investigated by determining the critical cooling rate and the minimal milling time. It was observed that drugs, which turned amorphous upon cooling from the melt at slow cooling rates also had a low minimal milling time and vice versa. It was found that the GFA of the studied set of drugs was inherent and independent of the preparation method. It can be concluded that a drug with low critical cooling rate will also have a low minimal milling time and is thus a good glass former.

Glass Forming Ability of Amorphous Drugs Investigated by Continuous Cooling and Isothermal Transformation.

The aim of this study was to investigate the glass forming ability of 12 different drugs by the determination of continuous cooling and isothermal transformation diagrams in order to elucidate if an inherent differentiation between the drugs with respect to their the glass forming ability can be made. Continuous-cooling-transformation (CCT) and time-temperature-transformation (TTT) diagrams of the drugs were developed in order to predict the critical cooling rate necessary to convert the drug from the melt into an amorphous form. While TTT diagrams overestimated the actual critical cooling rate, they allowed an inherent differentiation of glass forming ability for the investigated drugs into drugs that are extremely difficult to amorphize (>750 °C/min), drugs that require modest cooling rates (>10 °C/min), and drugs that can be made amorphous even at very slow cooling rates (>2 °C/min). Thus, the glass forming ability can be predicted by the use of TTT diagrams. In contrast to TTT diagrams, CCT diagrams may not be suitable for small organic molecules due to poor separation of exothermic events, which makes it difficult to determine the zone of recrystallization. In conclusion, this study shows that glass forming ability of drugs can be predicted by TTT diagrams.