CCR3 antagonists: a survey of the patent literature.

Since the mid-1990s, there has been significant effort invested in the discovery and clinical development of CC chemokine receptor-3 (CCR3) antagonists as potential therapeutics for airway disease. A patent literature review is presented of small molecule CCR3 antagonists comprising the years 2004 to the present. The patent searches were conducted using Derwent Discovery (World patent index) and PCT publication databases. At least two small molecule compounds have been reported to advance into clinical trials. However, data that support a definitive proof-of-concept in humans have yet to be disclosed. Nevertheless, patents from various pharmaceutical companies have continued to emerge, revealing diverse chemical classes of potent CCR3 antagonists and reflecting a continued broad interest in this area.