Structure-Based Drug Design of RN486, a Potent and Selective Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase (BTK) Inhibitor, for the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Structure-based drug design was used to guide the optimization of a series of selective BTK inhibitors as potential treatments for Rheumatoid arthritis. Highlights include the introduction of a benzyl alcohol group and a fluorine substitution, each of which resulted in over 10-fold increase in activity. Concurrent optimization of drug-like properties led to compound 1 (RN486) ( J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. 2012, 341, 90), which was selected for advanced preclinical characterization based on its favorable properties.