Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 14, 2026

Apimostinel

Apimostinel is an investigational antidepressant, acting as a novel and selective modulator of the NMDA receptor. It is currently under development for the acute treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) by Syndeio Biosciences, and previously by Naurex and Allergan. As of February 2015, an intravenous formulation of apimostinel has completed a phase IIa clinical trial for MDD.

Last revised
Jun 14, 2026
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≈ 2 min
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Wikipedia ↗
Apimostinel
Clinical data
Other namesNRX-1074; AGN-241660; Threonyl-prolyl-2R-(2-benzyl)-prolyl-threonine amide
Routes of
administration		By mouth
Drug classNMDA receptor modulator
Legal status
Legal status
Identifiers
  • (2R)-1-[(2S)-1-[(2S,3R)-2-Amino-3-hydroxybutanoyl]pyrrolidine-2-carbonyl]-N-[(2S,3R)-1-amino-3-hydroxy-1-oxobutan-2-yl]-2-benzylpyrrolidine-2-carboxamide
CAS Number
PubChem CID
ChemSpider
UNII
KEGG
ChEMBL
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)
Chemical and physical data
FormulaC25H37N5O6
Molar mass503.600 g·mol−1
3D model (JSmol)
  • C[C@@H](O)[C@H](N)C(=O)N1CCC[C@H]1C(=O)N2CCC[C@@]2(Cc3ccccc3)C(=O)N[C@@H]([C@@H](C)O)C(N)=O
  • InChI=1S/C25H37N5O6/c1-15(31)19(26)23(35)29-12-6-10-18(29)22(34)30-13-7-11-25(30,14-17-8-4-3-5-9-17)24(36)28-20(16(2)32)21(27)33/h3-5,8-9,15-16,18-20,31-32H,6-7,10-14,26H2,1-2H3,(H2,27,33)(H,28,36)/t15-,16-,18+,19+,20+,25-/m1/s1
  • Key:DVBUEXCIEIAXPM-PJUQSVSOSA-N

Apimostinel (GATE-202, formerly NRX-1074) is an investigational antidepressant, acting as a novel and selective modulator of the NMDA receptor.1234 It is currently under development for the acute treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) by Syndeio Biosciences, and previously by Naurex and Allergan.567 As of February 2015, an intravenous formulation of apimostinel has completed a phase IIa clinical trial for MDD.58

Similar to rapastinel (GLYX-13), its mechanism of action acts through a unique binding site on the NMDA receptor, independent of the glycine site, to modulate receptor activity and enhance NMDAR-mediated synaptic plasticity.9 However, apimostinel is 1000-fold more potent in vitro and is intended as an improved, follow-up drug to rapastinel.25 Similar to rapastinel, apimostinel is an amidated tetrapeptide, but has been structurally modified, via the addition of a benzyl group, to enhance its metabolic stability and pharmacokinetic profile. The drug has shown rapid and potent antidepressant effects in pre-clinical models of depression.5 In addition, similarly to rapastinel, it is well tolerated and lacks the hallucinosis-like psychotomimetic effects of NMDA receptor antagonists such as ketamine.5

See also

See also

References

References

  1. "Naurex's Novel Antidepressant GLYX-13 Recognized as One of Windhover's Top 10 Neuroscience Projects to Watch". PR Newswire. 31 August 2010.
  2. Henter ID, Park LT, Zarate CA (May 2021). "Novel Glutamatergic Modulators for the Treatment of Mood Disorders: Current Status". CNS Drugs. 35 (5): 527–543. doi:10.1007/s40263-021-00816-x. PMC 8201267. PMID 33904154.
  3. Donello JE, Banerjee P, Li YX, Guo YX, Yoshitake T, Zhang XL, et al. (March 2019). "Positive N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptor Modulation by Rapastinel Promotes Rapid and Sustained Antidepressant-Like Effects". The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology. 22 (3): 247–259. doi:10.1093/ijnp/pyy101. PMC 6403082. PMID 30544218.
  4. Hayley S, Litteljohn D (November 2013). "Neuroplasticity and the next wave of antidepressant strategies". Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience. 7: 218. doi:10.3389/fncel.2013.00218. PMC 3834236. PMID 24312008.
  5. "Naurex Reports Positive Top-Line Phase 2b Results for Novel Antidepressant GLYX-13 and Advances NRX-1074 into Phase 2 Depression Study". PR Newswire. 6 May 2014. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014.
  6. "Allergan Successfully Completes Naurex Acquisition". Allergan plc (Press release). PR Newswire. Retrieved 2016-11-20.
  7. "Home - Gate Neurosciences". Retrieved 2022-05-12.
  8. Clinical trial number NCT02067793 for "Study of Intravenous NRX-1074 in Patients With Major Depressive Disorder" at ClinicalTrials.gov
  9. Donello JE, Banerjee P, Li YX, Guo YX, Yoshitake T, Zhang XL, et al. (March 2019). "Positive N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptor Modulation by Rapastinel Promotes Rapid and Sustained Antidepressant-Like Effects". The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology. 22 (3): 247–259. doi:10.1093/ijnp/pyy101. PMC 6403082. PMID 30544218.
External links