Sumanirole (PNU-95,666) is a highly selective D₂ receptor

full agonist An agonist is a chemical that activates a receptor to produce a biological response. Receptors are cellular proteins whose activation causes the cell to modify what it is currently doing. In contrast, an antagonist blocks the action of the agoni ...

, the first of its kind to be discovered. It was developed for the treatment of

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...

and

restless leg syndrome Restless legs syndrome (RLS), also known as Willis–Ekbom disease (WED), is a neurological disorder, usually chronic, that causes an overwhelming urge to move one's legs. There is often an unpleasant feeling in the legs that improves temporaril ...

. While it has never been approved for medical use it is a highly valuable tool compound for basic research to identify neurobiological mechanisms that are based on a dopamine D₂-linked (vs. D₁-, D₃-, D₄-, and D₅-linked) mechanism of action. In 2004,

Pfizer Pfizer Inc. ( ) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Pharmaceutical industry, pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation headquartered at The Spiral (New York City), The Spiral in Manhattan, New York City. Founded in 184 ...

announced the end of their clinical development program for sumanirole, citing “recent studies that failed to sufficiently distinguish sumanirole from currently available therapies”.

References

{{Dopamine receptor modulators Abandoned drugs Secondary amines Dopamine agonists Imidazoquinolines Ureas

See also

References