Securing and Maintaining a Strong Patent Portfolio for Pharmaceuticals.

Pharmaceutical companies may recoup the investment necessary to discover, develop, and obtain market approval for a new pharmaceutical product by securing and maintaining a strong patent portfolio. To maximize patent protection and value, companies should develop a patent strategy that aligns with business goals, establish patent awareness within the company and procedures for identifying patentable inventions, and prepare applications with an eye toward monetization. Companies also should proactively manage their patent portfolios, focusing on patents of high value.

Carboxylated, heteroaryl-substituted chalcones as inhibitors of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 expression for use in chronic inflammatory diseases.

Starting from a simple chalcone template, structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies led to a series of carboxylated, heteroaryl-substituted chalcone derivatives as novel, potent inhibitors of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) expression. Correlations between lipophilicity determined by calculated logP values and inhibitory efficacy were observed among structurally similar compounds of the series. Various substituents were found to be tolerated at several positions of the chalcone backbone as long as the compounds fell into the right range of lipophilicity. The chalcone alpha,beta-unsaturated ketone moiety seemed to be the pharmacophore required for inhibition of VCAM-1 expression. Compound 19 showed significant antiinflammatory effects in a mouse model of allergic inflammation, indicating that this series of compounds might have therapeutic value for human asthma and other inflammatory disorders.

An efficient synthesis of a dual PPAR alpha/gamma agonist and the formation of a sterically congested alpha-aryloxyisobutyric acid via a Bargellini reaction.

A practical synthesis of benzisoxazole 1 and its conversion to alpha-aryloxyisobutyric acid 2 using 1,1,1-trichloro-2-methyl-2-propanol (chloretone) was developed. Benzisoxazole 1 was formed in high yields by the action of either methanesulfonyl chloride/base upon intermediate oxime 8 or with thionyl chloride/base, which initially forms cyclic sulfite 10. A highly reactive, short-lived intermediate derived from chloretone was detected by ReacIR and its half-life determined to be approximately 5 min. Reaction conditions for the Bargellini reaction were developed that resulted in a 95% yield of 2 from the reaction of highly hindered phenol 1 with chloretone hemihydrate and powdered NaOH in acetone. Thus highly hindered alpha-aryloxyisobutyric acids can be made in a single step in high yield.

Discovery of novel phenolic antioxidants as inhibitors of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 expression for use in chronic inflammatory diseases.

Vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) mediates recruitment of leukocytes to endothelial cells and is implicated in many inflammatory conditions. Since part of the signal transduction pathway that regulates the activation of VCAM-1 expression is redox-sensitive, compounds with antioxidant properties may have inhibitory effects on VCAM-1 expression. Novel phenolic compounds have been designed and synthesized starting from probucol (1). Many of these compounds demonstrated potent inhibitory effects on cytokine-induced VCAM-1 expression and displayed potent antioxidant effects in vitro. Some of these derivatives (4o, 4p, 4w, and 4x) inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), and IL-6 from human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (hPBMCs) in a concentration-dependent manner in vitro and showed antiinflammatory effects in an animal model. Compounds 4ad and 4ae are currently in clinical trials for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and prevention of chronic organ transplant rejection, respectively.

Discovery of novel heteroaryl-substituted chalcones as inhibitors of TNF-alpha-induced VCAM-1 expression.

Novel chalcone derivatives have been discovered as potent inhibitors of TNF-alpha-induced VCAM-1 expression. Thienyl or benzothienyl substitution at the meta-position of ring B helps boost potency while large substitution at the para-position on ring B is detrimental. Various substitutions are tolerated on ring A. A lipophilicity-potency relationship has been observed in several sub-series of compounds.

Theoretical Insights Regarding the Cycloaddition Behavior of Push-Pull Stabilized Carbonyl Ylides.

A series of diazoamido keto esters were prepared by the reaction of N-substituted 3-carbethoxy-2-piperidone with n-butylmagnesium chloride followed by the addition of ethyl 2-diazomalonyl chloride. Treatment of these diazo amides with rhodium(II) acetate afforded transient push-pull carbonyl ylide dipoles which could be readily trapped with electron deficient dipolarophiles. All attempts to induce the dipolar cycloaddition to occur across tethered alkenyl pi-bonds failed to give internal cycloadducts. However, placing a sp(2) center on the tethered side chain was found to result in the formation of a tricyclic adduct in 95% yield. The stereochemistry of the cycloadduct was firmly established by an X-ray crystallographic study and occurred endo with respect to the amido carbonyl ylide dipole. A detailed computational study was undertaken to provide better insight into the factors that influence the intramolecular cycloaddition process. The calculations indicate that a severe cross-ring 1,3-diaxial interaction caused by the bridgehead methyl group promotes a boat or twist-boat conformation in the piperidine ring fused to the newly forming one. The presence of a carbonyl group in the dipolarophile tether helps to relieve the steric congestion by virtue of favoring a second boat in the latter ring. Without the C=O group, both nascent and piperidine rings are in the chair conformation at lowest energy, and the reaction barrier is disadvantaged by 5.6 kcal/mol, allowing other competing processes to intervene.