Bradanicline ( INN, code name TC-5619) is a drug which was being developed by Targacept that acts as a

partial agonist In pharmacology, partial agonists are drugs that bind to and activate a given receptor, but have only partial efficacy at the receptor relative to a full agonist. They may also be considered ligands which display both agonistic and antagonis ...

at the α7 subtype of the neural

nicotinic acetylcholine receptor Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, or nAChRs, are receptor polypeptides that respond to the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Nicotinic receptors also respond to drugs such as the agonist nicotine. They are found in the central and peripheral ner ...

s. It showed cognitive enhancing effects in animal studies, and was being developed through a collaboration between Targacept and

AstraZeneca AstraZeneca plc () is a British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company with its headquarters at the Cambridge Biomedical Campus in Cambridge, England. It has a portfolio of products for major diseases in areas includi ...

as a potential treatment for

schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social w ...

and

attention deficit disorder Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by excessive amounts of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that are pervasive, impairing in multiple contexts, and otherwise age-inap ...

. Phase I

clinical trials Clinical trials are prospective biomedical or behavioral research studies on human participants designed to answer specific questions about biomedical or behavioral interventions, including new treatments (such as novel vaccines, drugs, dieta ...

were completed successfully, and it was in phase II trials. In May 2011,

declined to exercise its right to license the compound. In September 2012, Targacept ended its development of badanicline for the purpose of treating ADHD in adults. It was being studied for cognitive and memory enhancement. Bradanicline was discontinued for

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As ...

and cognitive impairment in schizophrenia in late-2013. It was also discontinued for ADHD.

References

Antipsychotics Benzofuran-2-carboxamides Nicotinic agonists AstraZeneca brands 3-Pyridyl compounds Quinuclidines Stimulants {{nervous-system-drug-stub