Cocaine addiction and dependency have reached pandemic levels and have become a continuing national healthcare concern. At present, no effective and safe medication is available to treat cocaine dependency and to ameliorate the underlying chemical addiction. During previous SBIR Phase I and Phase II supported work, we discovered several promising novel chemical entities (NCEs) with significant potential as cocaine addiction therapeutics. This SBIR continuing Phase II application focuses on extending the pharmacological characterization and preclinical development of these NCEs. The continuing Phase II research will consist of an assessment of in vivo efficacy and safety profiles of these compounds in rodent animal models and characterization of the selected drug candidates for their ADME properties. Medicinal chemistry for development of backup candidates will also be part of the effort. We propose to advance the development of these NCEs towards clinical trials for the treatment of cocaine addiction and related disorders. ? These NCEs are the most selective chemical inhibitors of dopamine reuptake that have been described. ? ?
