Small molecule modulators of PCSK9 - A literature and patent overview.

Proprotein convertase subtilisin kexin like type 9 (PCSK9) has since its discovery been a key protein target for the modulation of LDL cholesterol. The interest in PCSK9 has grown even more with the positive clinical trial outcomes in cardiovascular disease recently reported for two PCSK9 antibodies. Currently, there are no PCSK9 small molecule programs active in clinical development. However, there has been a steady increase in publications and patent applications within the PCSK9 small molecule field. This digest will provide a summary of small molecule and peptide PCSK9 modulators reported both in scientific journals and in patent applications, most of them originating from the last 3-4 years. As such, this digest will serve as an introduction to the field and assist further identification and discovery of small molecule PCSK9 modulators.