Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 21, 2026

Emestedastat

Emestedastat is a steroidogenesis inhibitor which is under development for the treatment of major depressive disorder, Alzheimer's disease, and fragile X syndrome. It specifically acts as a centrally penetrant inhibitor of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD1) and thereby inhibits the synthesis of the glucocorticoid steroid hormone cortisol. As of August 2024, emestedastat is in phase 2 clinical trials for major depressive disorder and Alzheimer's disease and is in the preclinical stage of development for fragile X syndrome. Clinical effectiveness for Alzheimer's disease has been mixed. It was originated by the University of Edinburgh and is being developed by Actinogen Medical.

Last revised
Jul 21, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
243 w
Citations
10
Source
Wikipedia ↗
Emestedastat
Clinical data
Other namesXanamem; UE-2343; UE2343
Drug class11β-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 inhibitor
Identifiers
  • [(1R,5S)-3-hydroxy-3-pyrimidin-2-yl-8-azabicyclo[3.2.1]octan-8-yl]-[5-(1H-pyrazol-4-yl)thiophen-3-yl]methanone
CAS Number
PubChem CID
ChemSpider
UNII
KEGG
Chemical and physical data
FormulaC19H19N5O2S
Molar mass381.45 g·mol−1
3D model (JSmol)
  • C1C[C@H]2CC(C[C@@H]1N2C(=O)C3=CSC(=C3)C4=CNN=C4)(C5=NC=CC=N5)O
  • InChI=1S/C19H19N5O2S/c25-17(12-6-16(27-11-12)13-9-22-23-10-13)24-14-2-3-15(24)8-19(26,7-14)18-20-4-1-5-21-18/h1,4-6,9-11,14-15,26H,2-3,7-8H2,(H,22,23)/t14-,15+,19?
  • Key:MMZFGTAMARVHAF-RTHVDDQRSA-N

Emestedastat (proposed brand name Xanamem; developmental code name UE-2343) is a steroidogenesis inhibitor which is under development for the treatment of major depressive disorder, Alzheimer's disease, and fragile X syndrome.12 It specifically acts as a centrally penetrant inhibitor of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD1) and thereby inhibits the synthesis of the glucocorticoid steroid hormone cortisol.1342 As of August 2024, emestedastat is in phase 2 clinical trials for major depressive disorder and Alzheimer's disease and is in the preclinical stage of development for fragile X syndrome.12 Clinical effectiveness for Alzheimer's disease has been mixed.2 It was originated by the University of Edinburgh and is being developed by Actinogen Medical.1

References

References

  1. "UE 2343". AdisInsight. 28 August 2024. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  2. Seckl J (January 2024). "11β-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase and the brain: Not (yet) lost in translation". Journal of Internal Medicine. 295 (1): 20–37. doi:10.1111/joim.13741. PMID 37941106.
  3. Bachurin SO, Gavrilova SI, Samsonova A, Barreto GE, Aliev G (March 2018). "Mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer disease: Contemporary approaches to diagnostics and pharmacological intervention". Pharmacological Research. 129: 216–226. doi:10.1016/j.phrs.2017.11.021. PMID 29170097.
  4. Canet G, Hernandez C, Zussy C, Chevallier N, Desrumaux C, Givalois L (2019). "Is AD a Stress-Related Disorder? Focus on the HPA Axis and Its Promising Therapeutic Targets". Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience. 11 269. doi:10.3389/fnagi.2019.00269. PMC 6776918. PMID 31611783.