Synthesis and structure-activity relationship (SAR) of a series of nonsteroidal glucocorticoid receptor (GR) agonists are described. These compounds contain "diazaindole" moieties and display different transcriptional regulatory profiles in vitro and are considered "dissociated" between gene transrepression and transactivation. The lead optimization effort described in this article focused in particular on limiting the transactivation of genes which result in bone side effects and these were assessed in vitro in MG-63 osteosarcoma cells, leading to the identification of (R)-18 and (R)-21. These compounds maintained anti-inflammatory activity in vivo in collagen induced arthritis studies in mouse but had reduced effects on bone relevant parameters compared to the widely used synthetic glucocorticoid prednisolone 2 in vivo. To our knowledge, we are the first to report on selective glucocorticoid ligands with reduced bone loss in a preclinical in vivo model.

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A series of nonsteroidal "dissociated" glucocorticoid receptor agonists was optimized for drug-like properties such as cytochrome P450 inhibition, metabolic stability, aqueous solubility, and hERG ion channel inhibition. This effort culminated in the identification of the clinical candidate compound ( R )-39.

A mild and efficient synthesis of various 3-brominated azaindoles and diazaindoles was developed by regioselective halogenation of the parent systems. This practical and high-yielding transformation was achieved with copper(II) bromide in acetonitrile at room temperature.

Background and Objectives BI 425809, a novel glycine transporter-1 inhibitor, may ameliorate cognitive deficits in schizophrenia. The objectives of the studies were: to assess absolute bioavailability of oral BI 425809 compared with intravenous (IV) microtracer infusion (study 1), and to determine the mass balance, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of BI 425809 (study 2). Methods These were Phase I, open-label, non-randomized, single-period, single-arm studies in healthy males. Study 1 administered a single oral dose of unlabeled BI 425809 25 mg, then an IV microtracer infusion of [ 14 C]-BI 425809 30 µg. In study 2, participants received an oral dose of [ 14 C]-BI 425809 25 mg containing [ 14 C]-labeled (dose: 3.7 megabecquerel (0.41 mSv)) and unlabeled drug. Safety was assessed. Results In study 1 ( n = 6), the absolute bioavailability of a 25 mg tablet of BI 425809 in a fasted state was 71.64%. The geometric mean dose-normalized maximum plasma concentration was approximately 80% lower after oral administration versus IV dose. In study 2 ( n = 6), the total recovery of [ 14 C]-BI 425809 was 96.7%, with ~ 48% of [ 14 C]-radioactivity excreted in urine and ~ 48% excreted in feces. Among the labeled drug in urine, ~ 45% of the amount excreted was composed of BI 425809 (17.4%) and two metabolites (BI 758790, 21.0%; BI 761036, 5.9%). In feces, < 1% of BI 425809 was excreted as unchanged drug. In both studies, BI 425809 was generally well tolerated. Conclusions After normalization, the absolute bioavailability of tablet-form BI 425809 was 71.64%. The total recovery of [ 14 C]-BI 425809 25 mg was high (96.7%), with low intraindividual variability and similar amounts excreted in urine and feces. Clinicaltrials.gov identifiers NCT03783000 and NCT03654170. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40261-021-01111-9.