NK2 receptor antagonists

Saredutant (SR-48,968) is a drug that acts as a NK2 receptor antagonist. It was under development by Sanofi-Aventis as a novel antidepressant and anxiolytic and made it to phase III clinical trials. However, in May 2009, Sanofi-Aventis published its quarterly results and announced the cessation of 14 research/development projects, among which was saredutant for the treatment of major depressive disorder.

Ibodutant was a candidate drug for irritable bowel syndrome diarrhea, developed by The Menarini Group. , it underwent a multicentre double blind efficacy clinical study. Ibodutant selectively blocks the tachykinin receptor NK2, with blockade practically complete in nanomolar concentrations. A phase 2 trial in Europe (the IRIS-2 trial) completed in May 2012 with positive results. A 52-week phase 3 study was terminated as of 2015 because of low response and negative results of study NAK-06.