TAK-994 is an
orexin receptor agonist which is under development by
for the treatment of
narcolepsy
Narcolepsy is a long-term neurological disorder that involves a decreased ability to regulate sleep–wake cycles. Symptoms often include periods of excessive daytime sleepiness and brief involuntary sleep episodes. About 70% of those affec ...
.
It is a
small-molecule
Within the fields of molecular biology and pharmacology, a small molecule or micromolecule is a low molecular weight (≤ 1000 daltons) organic compound that may regulate a biological process, with a size on the order of 1 nm. Many drugs ar ...
and
orally active compound
Compound may refer to:
Architecture and built environments
* Compound (enclosure), a cluster of buildings having a shared purpose, usually inside a fence or wall
** Compound (fortification), a version of the above fortified with defensive struct ...
and acts as a highly
selective agonist
An agonist is a chemical that activates a receptor to produce a biological response. Receptors are cellular proteins whose activation causes the cell to modify what it is currently doing. In contrast, an antagonist blocks the action of the ago ...
of the
orexin receptor 2
Orexin receptor type 2 (Ox2R or OX2), also known as hypocretin receptor type 2 (HcrtR2), is a protein that in humans is encoded by the HCRTR2 gene.
Structure
The structure of the receptor has been solved to 2.5 Å resolution as a fusion prote ...
(OX
2) (>700-fold selectivity over the
orexin receptor 1
Orexin receptor type 1 (Ox1R or OX1), also known as hypocretin receptor type 1 (HcrtR1), is a protein that in humans is encoded by the HCRTR1 gene.
Function
The orexin 1 receptor (OX1), is a G-protein coupled receptor that is heavily expresse ...
(OX
1)).
TAK-994 is related to
danavorexton
Danavorexton (developmental code name TAK-925) is a selective orexin 2 receptor agonist. It is a small-molecule compound and is administered intravenously. The compound was found to dose-dependently produce wakefulness to a similar degree as ...
(TAK-925).
The compound reached
phase 2
Michael Lawrence Marrow (August 2, 1955 – December 12, 2019), known as PHASE 2 and Lonny Wood, was an American aerosol paint artist based in New York City. Mostly active in the 1970s, Phase 2 is generally credited with originating the "bubble l ...
clinical trial
Clinical trials are prospective biomedical or behavioral research studies on human participants designed to answer specific questions about biomedical or behavioral interventions, including new treatments (such as novel vaccines, drugs, dietar ...
s for narcolepsy.
However, clinical development was discontinued in October 2021 for
safety
Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk.
Meanings
There are ...
reasons.
The
chemical structure
A chemical structure determination includes a chemist's specifying the molecular geometry and, when feasible and necessary, the electronic structure of the target molecule or other solid. Molecular geometry refers to the spatial arrangement of at ...
of TAK-994 has yet to be disclosed.
See also
*
Orexin receptor § Agonists
*
List of investigational sleep drugs § Orexin receptor agonists
References
Experimental drugs
Orexin receptor agonists
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