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.
Inhibikase Therapeutics’s Risvodetinib (IkT-148009) has been granted Orphan Drug Designation by the U.S. FDA for the treatment of Multiple System Atrophy (MSA). MSA is a rapidly progressive rare condition of the nervous system that causes gradual damage to nerve cells in the brain, and shares many symptoms with Parkinson's disease. This neurological disorder has an estimate an average of 0.6 to 0.7 new cases per 100,000 people yearly.
The non-receptor tyrosine kinase Abelson, c-Abl is shown to be implicated in the initiation and progression of α-synuclein (α-syn) pathogenesis and neurodegeneration. Risvodetinib is a brain-penetrant selective inhibitor of c-Abl1 and Abl2 undergoing Phase 2 clinical studies.