Pyrimidine, also known as 1,3-diazobenzene, is a heterocyclic compound with the chemical formula C4H4N2. Pyrimidine is formed by substituting 2 nitrogen atoms for 2 carbons in the meta-position of benzene. It is a diazine and retains its aromaticity. Derivatives of pyrimidine widely exist in organic macromolecular nucleic acids, and many drugs also contain pyrimidine rings. In nucleic acids, three nucleobases are pyrimidine derivatives: cytosine, thymine and uracil. There are a variety of pyrimidine-containing drugs on the market, most of which are kinase inhibitors.
Pyrrolidine, also known as tetrahydropyrrole, is a saturated five-membered heterocyclic ring, which is miscible with water. Pyrrolidine exists in many alkaloids and drug molecules, such as kappa opioids, antagonists of dopamine D4 receptors, and HIV reverse transcriptase inhibitors.
Johnson & Johnson pivotal study of Seltorexant shows statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in depressive symptoms and sleep disturbance outcomes. Seltorexant meets all primary and secondary endpoints in the pivotal Phase 3 MDD3001 clinical trial of adult and elderly patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) with insomnia symptoms.
Orexin signaling pathways are found to be associated with depression and anxiety. Orexin neurons receive and transmit signals throughout the central nervous system (CNS) that are modulated by their specific receptors (OX1R, OX2R). Seltorexant is an investigational first-in-class selective antagonist of ORX2 receptor. It is developed as an adjunctive therapy for MDD and for the treatment of insomnia disorder.