Discovery of (BMS-986172) as a Highly Potent MGAT2 Inhibitor that Achieved Targeted Efficacious Exposures at a Low Human Dose for the Treatment of Metabolic Disorders

A series of dihydropyridinone (DHP) compounds was prepared and evaluated for MGAT2 activity. The efforts led to the identification of novel tetrazolones with potent MGAT2 inhibitory activity and favorable in vitro profiles. Further tests of select analogues in mouse models revealed significant reduction in food intake and body weight. Subsequent studies in MGAT2 knockout mice with the lead candidate 12 (BMS-986172) showed on-target- and mechanism-based pharmacology. Moreover, its favorable pharmacokinetic (PK) profile and the lack of species variability in the glucuronidation potential resulted in a greater confidence level in the projection of a low dose for achieving targeted efficacious exposures in humans. Consistent with these projections, PK data from a phase 1 trial confirmed that targeted efficacious exposures could be achieved at a low dose in humans, which supported compound 12 as our second and potentially superior development candidate for the treatment of various metabolic disorders.

Screening Hit to Clinical Candidate: Discovery of BMS-963272, a Potent, Selective MGAT2 Inhibitor for the Treatment of Metabolic Disorders

MGAT2 inhibition is a potential therapeutic approach for the treatment of metabolic disorders. High-throughput screening of the BMS internal compound collection identified the aryl dihydropyridinone compound 1 (hMGAT2 IC₅₀ = 175 nM) as a hit. Compound 1 had moderate potency against human MGAT2, was inactive vs mouse MGAT2 and had poor microsomal metabolic stability. A novel chemistry route was developed to synthesize aryl dihydropyridinone analogs to explore structure-activity relationship around this hit, leading to the discovery of potent and selective MGAT2 inhibitors 21f, 21s, and 28e that are stable to liver microsomal metabolism. After triaging out 21f due to its inferior in vivo potency, pharmacokinetics, and structure-based liabilities and tetrazole 28e due to its inferior channel liability profile, 21s (BMS-963272) was selected as the clinical candidate following demonstration of on-target weight loss efficacy in the diet-induced obese mouse model and an acceptable safety and tolerability profile in multiple preclinical species.

Use of a Conformational-Switching Mechanism to Modulate Exposed Polarity: Discovery of CCR2 Antagonist BMS-741672

We encountered a dilemma in the course of studying a series of antagonists of the G-protein coupled receptor CC chemokine receptor-2 (CCR2): compounds with polar C3 side chains exhibited good ion channel selectivity but poor oral bioavailability, whereas compounds with lipophilic C3 side chains exhibited good oral bioavailability in preclinical species but poor ion channel selectivity. Attempts to solve this through the direct modulation of physicochemical properties failed. However, the installation of a protonation-dependent conformational switching mechanism resolved the problem because it enabled a highly selective and relatively polar molecule to access a small population of a conformer with lower polar surface area and higher membrane permeability. Optimization of the overall properties in this series yielded the CCR2 antagonist BMS-741672 (7), which embodied properties suitable for study in human clinical trials.

Identification of bicyclic hexafluoroisopropyl alcohol sulfonamides as retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor gamma (RORγ/RORc) inverse agonists. Employing structure-based drug design to improve pregnane X receptor (PXR) selectivity

We disclose the optimization of a high throughput screening hit to yield benzothiazine and tetrahydroquinoline sulfonamides as potent RORγt inverse agonists. However, a majority of these compounds showed potent activity against pregnane X receptor (PXR) and modest activity against liver X receptor α (LXRα). Structure-based drug design (SBDD) led to the identification of benzothiazine and tetrahydroquinoline sulfonamide analogs which completely dialed out LXRα activity and were less potent at PXR. Pharmacodynamic (PD) data for compound 35 in an IL-23 induced IL-17 mouse model is discussed along with the implications of a high Ymax in the PXR assay for long term preclinical pharmacokinetic (PK) studies.

Structure of CC chemokine receptor 2 with orthosteric and allosteric antagonists

CC chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2) is one of 19 members of the chemokine receptor subfamily of human class A G-protein-coupled receptors. CCR2 is expressed on monocytes, immature dendritic cells, and T-cell subpopulations, and mediates their migration towards endogenous CC chemokine ligands such as CCL2 (ref. 1). CCR2 and its ligands are implicated in numerous inflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases including atherosclerosis, multiple sclerosis, asthma, neuropathic pain, and diabetic nephropathy, as well as cancer. These disease associations have motivated numerous preclinical studies and clinical trials (see http://www.clinicaltrials.gov) in search of therapies that target the CCR2-chemokine axis. To aid drug discovery efforts, here we solve a structure of CCR2 in a ternary complex with an orthosteric (BMS-681 (ref. 6)) and allosteric (CCR2-RA-[R]) antagonist. BMS-681 inhibits chemokine binding by occupying the orthosteric pocket of the receptor in a previously unseen binding mode. CCR2-RA-[R] binds in a novel, highly druggable pocket that is the most intracellular allosteric site observed in class A G-protein-coupled receptors so far; this site spatially overlaps the G-protein-binding site in homologous receptors. CCR2-RA-[R] inhibits CCR2 non-competitively by blocking activation-associated conformational changes and formation of the G-protein-binding interface. The conformational signature of the conserved microswitch residues observed in double-antagonist-bound CCR2 resembles the most inactive G-protein-coupled receptor structures solved so far. Like other protein-protein interactions, receptor-chemokine complexes are considered challenging therapeutic targets for small molecules, and the present structure suggests diverse pocket epitopes that can be exploited to overcome obstacles in drug design.

Identification of potent tricyclic prodrug S1P1 receptor modulators

Recently, our research group reported the identification of prodrug amino-alcohol 2 as a potent and efficacious S1P₁ receptor modulator. This molecule is differentiated preclinically over the marketed drug fingolimod (Gilenya 1), whose active phosphate metabolite is an S1P₁ full agonist, in terms of pulmonary and cardiovascular safety. S1P₁ partial agonist 2, however, has a long half-life in rodents and was projected to have a long half-life in humans. The purpose of this communication is to disclose highly potent partial agonists of S1P₁ with shorter half-lives relative to the clinical compound 2. PK/PD relationships as well as their preclinical pulmonary and cardiovascular safety assessment are discussed.

Identification and Preclinical Pharmacology of BMS-986104: A Differentiated S1P1 Receptor Modulator in Clinical Trials

Clinical validation of S1P receptor modulation therapy was achieved with the approval of fingolimod (Gilenya, 1) as the first oral therapy for relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis. However, 1 causes a dose-dependent reduction in the heart rate (bradycardia), which occurs within hours after first dose. We disclose the identification of clinical compound BMS-986104 (3d), a novel S1P1 receptor modulator, which demonstrates ligand-biased signaling and differentiates from 1 in terms of cardiovascular and pulmonary safety based on preclinical pharmacology while showing equivalent efficacy in a T-cell transfer colitis model.

Insight to the thermodynamic stability of molecular crystals through crystallographic studies of a multipolymorph system

Five solvent-free polymorphs of a pharmaceutical compound were discovered during polymorph screening. Out of the five polymorphs, only one has strong intermolecular N-H···N hydrogen bonding, whereas the others exhibit only weak C-H···N and π-π stacking interactions in addition to all the other weak C-H···X and van der Waals interactions. The relative thermodynamic stability relationships among the polymorphs are not intuitive and quite complex due to enantiotropic phase behavior. For instance, the polymorph with the most efficient packing (i.e., highest density) is not always the most thermodynamically stable form, and the polymorph with strong intermolecular interactions is not thermodynamically more stable than the polymorph with weak intermolecular interactions at all temperatures. Nevertheless, systematic examination and comparison of the molecular packing and intermolecular interactions of these polymorphs provide insight into the importance of H-bonding and packing efficiency to the thermodynamic stability of a crystalline form, and how these effects are dependent on temperature. This study seeks to correlate single-crystal structure features with experimentally established thermodynamic stability, and provides an example where a polymorph with only van der Waals forces and weak intermolecular interactions can be more stable than a polymorph that displays strong H-bonding in its structural make-up.

Understanding the structure details when drying hydrate crystals of pharmaceuticals – interpretations from diffuse scattering and inter-modulation satellites of a partially dehydrated crystal

Simplified models for the crystal lattice of the sesquihydrate form of the hemi-sulfate salt of (5S,6S,9R)-5-amino-6-(2,3-difluorophenyl)-6,7,8,9-tetrahydro-5H-cyclohepta[b]pyridin-9-yl 4-(2-oxo-2,3-dihydro-1H-imidazol[4,5b]pyridin-1-yl)-1-piperidine carboxylate (BMS-927711, C28H29F2N6O3+) are used to calculate diffuse diffraction features in order to develop a mechanistic understanding of the dehydration process with respect to disruption of the lattice, since a Bragg model cannot be established. The model demonstrates that what we observe when the water leaves the crystal is partial transformation from the parent form to a child form (a new form, less hydrated and structurally related to the parent). Yet this `dried' structure is not a pure phase. It consists of semi-random layers of both child, parent and an interfacial layer which has a modulated structure that represents a transitory phase. Understanding the fact that a single `dried' crystal can have the disordered layer structure described as well as understanding mechanistic relationships between the phases involved can have implications in understanding the effect of common large scale bulk drying procedures. During the development of BMS-927711, difficulties did arise during characterization of the dried bulk when using only routine solid-state analysis. The material is now better understood from this diffraction study. The diffraction experiments also reveal intermodulation satellites, which upon interpretation yield even more structural information about the crystal transformation. The model suggests the mechanism of transformation is laminar in which layers of the crystal are driven to approach a stableB-centered supercell phase of lower water content.

Polymorph characterization of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) using low-frequency Raman spectroscopy

Polymorph detection, identification, and quantitation in crystalline materials are of great importance to the pharmaceutical industry. Vibrational spectroscopic techniques used for this purpose include Fourier transform mid-infrared (FT-MIR) spectroscopy, Fourier transform near-infrared (FT-NIR) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and terahertz (THz) and far-infrared (FIR) spectroscopy. Typically, the fundamental molecular vibrations accessed using high-frequency Raman and MIR spectroscopy or the overtone and combination of bands in the NIR spectra are used to monitor the solid-state forms of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). The local environmental sensitivity of the fundamental molecular vibrations provides an indirect probe of the long-range order in molecular crystals. However, low-frequency vibrational spectroscopy provides access to the lattice vibrations of molecular crystals and, hence, has the potential to more directly probe intermolecular interactions in the solid state. Recent advances in filter technology enable high-quality, low-frequency Raman spectra to be acquired using a single-stage spectrograph. This innovation enables the cost-effective collection of high-quality Raman spectra in the 200-10 cm(-1) region. In this study, we demonstrate the potential of low-frequency Raman spectroscopy for the polymorphic characterization of APIs. This approach provides several benefits over existing techniques, including ease of sampling and more intense, information-rich band structures that can potentially discriminate among crystalline forms. An improved understanding of the relationship between the crystalline structure and the low-frequency vibrational spectrum is needed for the more widespread use of the technique.

Effect of alkyl chain parity on the face-selective crystal growth of a drug polymorph

Carboxy terminated alkanethiol self-assembled monolayers promote the face-selective nucleation of the P-monoclinic polymorph of carbamazepine; the type of face nucleated depends on the parity of the alkyl chain.