Pasteur Euroconference on future therapies for an anxious world

The aim of this meeting was to explore the molecular targets for tomorrow's drugs with a group of European and North American speakers from the pharmaceutical industry and academia presenting both data and ideas. Several speakers considered 5-hydroxytryptamine(1B/D) (5-HT(1B/D)) receptor antagonists to be a promising target for the treatment of obsessive compulsive disorders (OCD). 5-HT moduline, a peptide modulator of the 5-HT(1B/D) receptor, presents a potentially subtle way of intervention. No clinical data are as yet available on 5-HT(1B/D) receptor antagonists. The paradox of agonists, partial agonists and antagonists at the 5-HT(1A) receptor (all having anxiolytic activity in animal models) was discussed. Although the 5-HT(1A) agonists tested in clinical trials to date have been disappointing, the clinical potential of 5-HT(1A) antagonists still has to be evaluated. Similarly, both agonists and antagonists at the 5-HT(2C) receptor have been shown to be active in animal models of anxiety. It seems, however, that 5-HT(2C) agonists may have a therapeutic potential in panic disorders and OCD, while the antagonists may be more appropriate in generalised anxiety. Cholecystokinin (CCK) has been shown to be implicated in panic attacks which can be induced by agonists at the CCK-B subtype. CCK-B antagonists are thus potential antipanic agents although this has not yet been confirmed by clinical trials. Finally, inhibition of glutamatergic neurotransmission produces anxiolytic effects in a wide-range of animal models and the new antagonists at the metabotropic glutamate receptors may have potential as anti-anxiety agents. This report focuses on the presentations that addressed novel drug candidates or potential new drug targets.