June 27, 2021
An error was made in the structural analysis of an anticancer drug candidate, ONC201. The incorrect structure (b, above) was included in the sponsor’s (Oncoceutics’s) patent in 2014. Researchers at The Scripps Research Institute found the correct structure (a, above) and patented it. A years-long legal dispute ensued . Ultimately, Oncoceutics licensed the patent from Scripps in 2019, and Chimerix acquired Oncoceutics in 2021 . This error in structure analysis was costly and underscores the importance of thorough structure analysis. Obtaining 2D NMR data (e.g., NOESY and HMBC) on ONC201 and conducting careful data interpretation would have likely shown the depicted correlations, enabling the correct assignment and circumventing the very costly consequences.