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In 2022, 23 new small molecule chemical entities were approved as drugs by the United States FDA, European Union EMA, Japan PMDA, and China NMPA. This review describes the synthetic approach demonstrated on largest scale for each new drug based on patent or primary literature. The synthetic routes highlight practical methods to construct molecules, sometimes on the manufacturing scale, to access the new drugs. Ten additional drugs approved in 2021 and one approved in 2020 are included that were not covered in the previous year's review.

Each year, new drugs are introduced to the market, representing structures that have affinity for biological targets implicated in human diseases and conditions. These new chemical entities (NCEs), particularly small molecules and antibody-drug conjugates, provide insight into molecular recognition and serve as potential leads for the design of future medicines. This annual review is part of a continuing series highlighting the most likely process-scale synthetic approaches to 35 NCEs that were first approved anywhere in the world during 2021.

The tumor suppressor p53 is the most frequently mutated protein in human cancer. The majority of these mutations are missense mutations in the DNA binding domain of p53. Restoring p53 tumor suppressor function could have a major impact on the therapy for a wide range of cancers. Here we report a virtual screening approach that identified several small molecules with p53 reactivation activities. The UCI-LC0023 compound series was studied in detail and was shown to bind p53, induce a conformational change in mutant p53, restore the ability of p53 hotspot mutants to associate with chromatin, reestablish sequence-specific DNA binding of a p53 mutant in a reconstituted in vitro system, induce p53-dependent transcription programs, and prevent progression of tumors carrying mutant p53, but not p53 null or p53 WT alleles. Our study demonstrates feasibility of a computation-guided approach to identify small molecule corrector drugs for p53 hotspot mutations., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests Several authors of this manuscript are listed as inventors on the patent listed below. The patent describes compounds reported in this manuscript. Amaro, R. E., Baronio, R., Demir, O., Kaiser, P., Lathrop, R. H., Salehi-Amiri, S.-F., Wassman, C. Small molecules to enhance p53 activity. US patent US20160193214 A1. Approved March 2017., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

New drugs introduced to the market are privileged structures that have affinities for biological targets implicated in human diseases and conditions. These new chemical entities (NCEs), particularly small molecules and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), provide insight into molecular recognition and simultaneously function as leads for the design of future medicines. This Review is part of a continuing series presenting the most likely process-scale synthetic approaches to 44 new chemical entities approved for the first time anywhere in the world during 2020.

New drugs introduced to the market are privileged structures having affinities for biological targets implicated in human diseases and conditions. These new chemical entities (NCEs), particularly small molecules and antibody-drug conjugates, provide insight into molecular recognition and simultaneously function as leads for the design of future medicines. This review is part of a continuing series presenting the most likely process-scale synthetic approaches to 40 NCEs approved for the first time anywhere in the world in 2019.

New drugs introduced to the market every year represent privileged structures for particular biological targets. These new chemical entities (NCEs) provide insight into molecular recognition while serving as leads for designing future new drugs. This annual review describes the most likely process-scale synthetic approaches to 39 new chemical entities approved for the first time globally in 2018.

(+)-Fastigiatine is a complex alkaloid isolated from the alpine club moss Lycopodium fastigatum, most commonly found in New Zealand. It has been the subject of two successful synthetic campaigns. A second-generation route toward fastigiatine was developed to resolve two problematic steps from our initial synthesis. Selective reduction and protection of the C13 ketone improved the yield and reliability of the dibromocarbene ring expansion step. In the prior synthesis, cuprate addition to the C10 enone generated a 1:1 mixture of isomers in an advanced intermediate. Protection of the C13 alcohol with a large silyl group changed the conformational preference of the enone and led to a more selective conjugate addition to produce the desired β-epimer at C10. MacMillan's decarboxylative photoredox addition method proved to be more practical than the prior aminomethyl cuprate addition chemistry. The second-generation synthesis is longer than the original but improves the selectivity and reproducibility of the overall route.

Biflavonoids have been isolated from a wide variety of plant species, but little is known about their native biological functions. Here we report a possible ecological role for biflavonoids by describing the isolation of the biflavonoid 4',4‴,7,7″-tetra-O-methylcupressuflavone (1) from Araucaria columnaris and its inhibitory effect on seed germination. Compound 1 was isolated from needles of a single A. columnaris specimen and inhibited germination of Lactuca sativa seeds in a culture-dish assay; it was also detected in soil samples under the canopy where reduced germination was observed, but not in a location away from the canopy where germination was uninhibited.