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A trusted, independent source of curated, factual information for the drug discovery community.

11/06/2026

The WHO’s INN Proposed List 135 disclosed the structures and names of a set of cutting edge, investigational drugs in clinical trials. We took a deep dive into the molecules behind these newly disclosed nonproprietary names, linking them to known assets, companies, and clinical programs.

Given the size of the list, our analysis is published over two articles, with both available to read now.

Inside the articles you’ll find the following:

- Mapping of structures to assets in active development across the industry
- Therapeutic targets, relevant patents, and supporting preclinical and clinical data for the molecules
- Confidence ratings on select small molecules, so you can see what’s confirmed and what’s inferred
- An accompanying poster summarizing the findings

Our INN List 135 coverage offers an overview of what's advancing in drug development, such as integrin inhibitors driving major M&A activity, emerging modalities like molecular glues and degraders, and significant disclosures from multiple companies outside the US.

Members can read the full analysis and explore the data here: https://drughunters.com/4AkLesn

11/05/2026

Roche’s Brain-Penetrant MAGL Inhibitor RG6182 Enters Ph. 2 for Multiple Sclerosis | https://drughunters.com/47Xx1Wb

RG6182 is a potent, selective, brain-penetrant MAGL (monoacylglycerol lipase) inhibitor in development for MS (multiple sclerosis). Disclosed at the EFMC International Symposium on Medicinal Chemistry 2026, RG6182 demonstrates MAGL target engagement in human cells and brain tissue samples and shows activity in preclinical models of neuroinflammation and pain.

The compound has now advanced into the Ph. 2 MINTAKA trial for progressive MS, where it is being evaluated as an add-on to the anti-CD20 mAb ocrelizumab.

Check out our coverage of this conference disclosure to learn more about RG6182’s discovery, medicinal chemistry optimization, preclinical pharmacology, and clinical development.

Read more on Drug Hunter: https://drughunters.com/47Xx1Wb

11/03/2026

Meet the speakers at the FIRST-EVER Drug Hunter MOLECULES OF THE YEAR Symposium, November 19 at MassBio in Boston!

Chaired by Dean Brown, SVP and head of research at Jnana Therapeutics, the program brings together the discovery teams behind five landmark molecules:

• Keynote: The discovery story behind daraxonrasib, Drug Hunter’s 2025 Molecule of the Year, presented by Jan Smith, CSO at Revolution Medicines
• Nirmatrelvir: Dafydd Owen, senior scientific director at Pfizer
• Enlicitide: Abbas Walji, senior director of discovery chemistry at Merck
• Tipasertideg (KT-474): Yi Zhang, senior director of medicinal chemistry at Kymera Therapeutics
• Aficamten: Grace Chuang, senior research fellow at Cytokinetics

Emerging modalities in drug discovery:

• Degrader-antibody conjugates, presented by Christopher Phelps, SVP and head of early drug discovery at Nurix Therapeutics
• Covalent allosteric target modulation, presented by David Weinstein, SVP and head of medicinal chemistry at Vividion Therapeutics

Panel discussion on industry trends:

• Dean Brown, SVP and head of research at Jnana Therapeutics
• Wendy Young, independent scientific advisor
• Dan Erlanson, chief innovation officer at Frontier Medicines

Experienced discovery leaders from >60 pharma and biotech companies will be in attendance. All excess proceeds will be donated to the American Cancer Society.

See the full agenda and how to apply for one of the remaining passes: https://drughunters.com/4ijS8YF

11/02/2026

Lenacapavir, a First-in-Class HIV Capsid Inhibitor for the Treatment and Prevention of HIV-1 Infection | https://drughunters.com/4sBdFzD

*Live Only*
Thursday, November 5th, 2026
8 AM PT | 11 AM ET | 5 PM CET

The development of innovative antiretroviral therapies with novel mechanisms of action and long-acting options remains critical to erradicate HIV globally.

In this Flash Talk, Gediminas Brizgys, Scientist in Medicinal Chemistry at Gilead Sciences, will share the discovery story of lenacapavir, a first-in-class, long-acting HIV capsid inhibitor that emerged from over a decade of research.

Gedi will discuss the scientific rationale for targeting the HIV capsid, highlight project challenges and breakthroughs, and explore how perseverance contributed to the discovery and development of this groundbreaking therapy.

Join us to learn about the discovery story behind lenacapavir and the role of novel mechanisms of action in advancing the treatment and prevention of HIV: https://drughunters.com/4sBdFzD

11/02/2026

In this month’s Patent Gazette, we highlight fourteen programs across four targets that were of particular interest to our team of experts. Here are some notable ones:

- Incyte’s covalent VRK1 inhibitors, with multiple scaffolds boasting 100-fold selectivity over paralog VRK2

- Newly filed patent applications from Merck & Co., Architect Therapeutics, and Solegate for small molecules targeting SLC15A4:TASL protein-protein interaction, a key target for lupus

- A KRAS inhibitor round-up, including filings from AstraZeneca, Alterome Therapeutics, and Hengrui Pharmaceuticals

- Degraders of CDK2 and CDK2/4 from Kymera Therapeutics, Blueprint Medicines, and NiKang Therapeutics

Read more on Drug Hunter: https://drughunters.com/4ers37N

11/01/2026

Our CEO Dennis Hu will be at the Longwood Healthcare Leaders Boston CEO 2026 conference, November 2–3 at the Mandarin Oriental in Boston.

We look forward to sharing industry insights from around the world with biotech and pharma CEOs, R&D heads, and investors to foster collaboration and accelerate drug discovery outcomes.

If you are attending, reach out to Dennis Hu to connect!

10/31/2026

Molecules of the Month – September 2026 | https://drughunters.com/4kurFJ8

Drug Hunter’s September picks spotlight Beeline Medicines’ afimetoran, an oral dual TLR7/8 inhibitor posting positive Ph. 2 results in systemic lupus erythematosus; Vividion Therapeutics’ RO7589831 (VVD-214), a covalent WRN helicase inhibitor, which has delivered early clinical proof-of-concept in MSI/dMMR cancers; and Triana Biomedicines’ TRI-611, a brain-penetrant molecular glue degrader of ALK fusion proteins now in clinical development.

Rounding out the list:

– danegaptide — Breye Therapeutics’ connexin-43 modulator being repurposed as an oral approach to diabetic retinopathy

– EDG-7500 — Edgewise Therapeutics’ diastolic-selective cardiac sarcomere modulator designed to improve cardiac relaxation while preserving systolic function

– TCIP3 — a gain-of-function-inducing heterobifunctional molecular glue that redirects p300/CBP activity to BCL6-repressed chromatin to activate cell-death programs

– birelentinib — Dizal’s brain-penetrant dual LYN/BTK inhibitor designed to address BTK-independent, LYN-driven resistance in response to non-covalent BTK inhibition

– ABBV-CLS-484 (osunprotafib) — AbbVie’s oral PTPN2/PTPN1 inhibitor as an activator of innate tumor macrophages to control lung metastasis

– NVP-IID432 — Novartis’ parasite-selective, covalent topoisomerase II inhibitor with potential for a shorter course Chagas disease treatment

– MT200605 — Micot Pharma’s TrkB agonist that met its Ph. 2 primary endpoint in acute ischemic stroke

Read the full article to explore the molecules that made our September 2026 list.

Full article: https://drughunters.com/4kurFJ8

10/30/2026

The FIRST-EVER Drug Hunter MOLECULES OF THE YEAR Symposium is taking place November 19 at in Boston!

This invite-only, one-day event brings together over a hundred senior leaders from across the drug discovery industry to celebrate the breakthrough molecules and teams shaping the field. Industry leaders in drug discovery are encouraged to apply for an invitation.

𝗔 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺:

• The discovery story behind daraxonrasib, Drug Hunter’s 2025 Molecule of the Year, presented by Jan Smith, CSO at Medicines

• Talks from the discovery teams behind Paxlovid, enlicitide, tipasertideg (KT-474) and aficamten

• A panel discussion on industry trends

• A session to nominate 2026 Drug Hunter Molecule of the Year candidates

Experienced discovery leaders from 60+ different pharma and biotech companies including Pfizer, Sanofi, and Lilly will be in attendance.

All excess proceeds will be donated to the American Cancer Society. See the full agenda, speaker lineup, pass details, and how to apply for one of the remaining passes to attend: https://drughunters.com/48pORB6

10/29/2026

Live Now in Drug Hunter: Choose insights topics. Scan compound disclosures.

Two updates to the Drug Hunter platform are live today:

1) Set your Insights bar. Pick the therapeutic areas, target classes, modalities, and strategies you want to follow, and filter articles in one click.

2) Browse the new Disclosures page. Recent compound disclosures with structures, targets, and stages, plus links to the original source and the Drug Hunter Molecule Search.

These follow our recent launch of Patent Structures and are part of our ongoing work to help the Drug Hunter platform deliver the intelligence you need for your projects.

Visit the Insights page here: https://drughunters.com/4BEEjf8

10/28/2026

Will Lowering Lp(a) with Oligonucleotides and Muvalaplin Reduce Cardiovascular Events?| https://drughunters.com/4kiM8R9

Elevated Lp(a) levels are linked to cardiovascular risk, and several therapies aim to lower its levels. For drug discovery, the question is whether those reductions translate into fewer cardiovascular events and what the answer will mean for future Lp(a) programs.

Read more on Drug Hunter: https://drughunters.com/4kiM8R9

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