Tropifexor is an investigational drug which acts as an

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

farnesoid X receptor The bile acid receptor (BAR), also known as farnesoid X receptor (FXR) or NR1H4 (nuclear receptor subfamily 1, group H, member 4), is a nuclear receptor that is encoded by the ''NR1H4'' gene in humans. Function FXR is expressed at high levels ...

(FXR). It was discovered by researchers from

Novartis Novartis AG is a Swiss-American multinational pharmaceutical corporation based in Basel, Switzerland and Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States (global research).name="novartis.com">https://www.novartis.com/research-development/research-loc ...

and

Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation Novartis AG is a Swiss-American multinational pharmaceutical corporation based in Basel, Switzerland and Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States (global research).name="novartis.com">https://www.novartis.com/research-development/research-loc ...

. Its synthesis and pharmacological properties were published in 2017. It was developed for the treatment of

cholestatic Cholestasis is a condition where bile cannot flow from the liver to the duodenum. The two basic distinctions are an obstructive type of cholestasis where there is a mechanical blockage in the duct system that can occur from a gallstone or malign ...

liver diseases and

nonalcoholic steatohepatitis Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), also known as metabolic (dysfunction) associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), is excessive fat build-up in the liver without another clear cause such as alcohol use. There are two types; non-alcoholic ...

(NASH). In combination with

cenicriviroc Cenicriviroc (INN, code names TAK-652, TBR-652, commonly abbreviated as CVC) is an experimental drug candidate for the treatment of HIV infection and in combination with Tropifexor for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. It is being developed by Takeda ...

, a

CCR2 C-C chemokine receptor type 2 (CCR2 or CD192 (cluster of differentiation 192) is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''CCR2'' gene. CCR2 is a CC chemokine receptor. Gene This CCR2 gene is located in the chemokine receptor gene cluster ...

and

CCR5 C-C chemokine receptor type 5, also known as CCR5 or CD195, is a protein on the surface of white blood cells that is involved in the immune system as it acts as a receptor for chemokines. In humans, the ''CCR5'' gene that encodes the CCR5 pro ...

receptor inhibitor, it is undergoing a

phase II clinical trial The phases of clinical research are the stages in which scientists conduct experiments with a health intervention to obtain sufficient evidence for a process considered effective as a medical treatment. For drug development, the clinical phases ...

for NASH and

liver fibrosis Cirrhosis, also known as liver cirrhosis or hepatic cirrhosis, and end-stage liver disease, is the impaired liver function caused by the formation of scar tissue known as fibrosis due to damage caused by liver disease. Damage causes tissue repai ...

. Rats treated orally with tropifexor (0.03 to 1 mg/kg) showed an upregulation of the FXR target genes, BSEP and SHP, and a down-regulation of

CYP8B1 CYP8B1 (cytochrome P450, family 8, subfamily B, polypeptide 1) also known as sterol 12-alpha-hydroxylase is a protein which in humans is encoded by the ''CYP8B1'' gene. This gene encodes a member of the cytochrome P450 superfamily of enzymes. Th ...

. Its

EC50 ] Half maximal effective concentration (EC50) is a measure of the concentration of a drug, antibody or toxicant which induces a Stimulus%E2%80%93response_model, response halfway between the baseline and maximum after a specified exposure time. Mo ...

for FXR is between 0.2 and 0.26 nM depending on the biochemical assay. The patent which covers tropifexor and related compounds was published in 2010.. Retrieved 17 May 2019.

References

Novartis brands Benzothiazoles Farnesoid X receptor agonists Isoxazoles Tropanes Carboxylic acids Trifluoromethyl ethers Cyclopropanes {{Gastrointestinal-drug-stub