Discovery of Vibegron: A Potent and Selective β3 Adrenergic Receptor Agonist for the Treatment of Overactive Bladder

SD Edmondson, C Zhu, NF Kar, J Di Salvo… - Journal of Medicinal …, 2016 - ACS Publications
SD Edmondson, C Zhu, NF Kar, J Di Salvo, H Nagabukuro, B Sacre-Salem, K Dingley…
Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 2016ACS Publications
The discovery of vibegron, a potent and selective human β3-AR agonist for the treatment of
overactive bladder (OAB), is described. An early-generation clinical β3-AR agonist MK-0634
(3) exhibited efficacy in humans for the treatment of OAB, but development was discontinued
due to unacceptable structure-based toxicity in preclinical species. Optimization of a series
of second-generation pyrrolidine-derived β3-AR agonists included reducing the risk for
phospholipidosis, the risk of formation of disproportionate human metabolites, and the risk of …
The discovery of vibegron, a potent and selective human β3-AR agonist for the treatment of overactive bladder (OAB), is described. An early-generation clinical β3-AR agonist MK-0634 (3) exhibited efficacy in humans for the treatment of OAB, but development was discontinued due to unacceptable structure-based toxicity in preclinical species. Optimization of a series of second-generation pyrrolidine-derived β3-AR agonists included reducing the risk for phospholipidosis, the risk of formation of disproportionate human metabolites, and the risk of formation of high levels of circulating metabolites in preclinical species. These efforts resulted in the discovery of vibegron, which possesses improved druglike properties and an overall superior preclinical profile compared to MK-0634. Structure–activity relationships leading to the discovery of vibegron and a summary of its preclinical profile are described.
ACS Publications