Discovery of 2-[4-{{2-(2S,5R)-2-cyano-5-ethynyl-1-pyrrolidinyl]-2-oxoethyl]amino]-4-methyl-1-piperidinyl]-4-pyridinecarboxylic acid (ABT-279) : A very potent, selective, effective, and well-tolerated inhibitor of dipeptidyl peptidase-IV, useful for the treatment of diabetes

Dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV) inhibitors are poised to be the next major drug class for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Structure−activity studies of substitutions at the C5 position of the 2-cyanopyrrolidide warhead led to the discovery of potent inhibitors of DPP-IV that lack activity against DPP8 and DPP9. Further modification led to an extremely potent (KiDPP-IV = 1.0 nM) and selective (KiDPP8 > 30 μM; KiDPP9 > 30 μM) clinical candidate, ABT-279, that is orally available, efficacious, and remarkably safe in preclinical safety studies.