Blame the inhibitor, not the target

While matrix metalloprotease (MMP) inhibitors have been unsuccessful in the clinic so far, new understanding of the biology of MMPs and the chemistry of their inhibitors suggests that difficulties in developing these products may be due to the characteristics of the inhibitors.

Matthew Laufersweller of Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals Inc., a subsidiary of Procter & Gamble Co. (PG, Cincinnati, Ohio), last week told the American Chemical Society meeting in San Diego that PG is developing a new class of zinc protease inhibitors, propargyl glycyl carboxylic acids, that are more selective for MMP-13 and are less likely to cause adverse effects observed with the first generation MMP inhibitors, developed by F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. (SWX:ROCZ, Basel, Switzerland), Bayer AG (DAX:BAYG, Leverkusen, Germany), British Biotech plc (LSE:BBG; BBIOY, Oxford, U.K.) and Pfizer Inc. (PFE, New York, N.Y.)...