Stearoyl-CoA desaturase inhibitors: update on patented compounds

Stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 (SCD1) has been implicated as a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of a variety of disease states, including hepatic steatosis, metabolic diseases, skin and eye disorders, and certain cancers.

This review focuses on the novel composition of matter patents in the area of small molecule SCD1 inhibitors, along with their pharmacological effects in relevant disease models. The prospect of targeting SCD1 inhibition as a novel therapeutic approach is discussed.

The rapid development of SCD1 inhibitors is evidenced by the increasing number of patent applications published and the number of promising preclinical compounds that have emerged in the past 5 years. Between January 2005 and February 2009, there were approximately 70 SCD1 inhibitor patent applications published.