Drug Hunter is a website dedicated to drug discovery. It brings together new methods, potential drugs and research in an accessible way. As a standard feature since 2020, the scientists behind the site highlight ten ‘molecules of the month’. At the end of the year, ten nominations are shortlisted and readers vote for the Molecule of the Year.

This year, deucravacitinib received the most votes from the drug discovery community. With 24% of the vote, it was not far behind the runner-up (21%). Deucravacitinib was developed by Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) as an oral allosteric tyrosine kinase 2 (TYK2) inhibitor for the skin disease psoriasis. It is the first oral psoriasis treatment in almost a decade and the first drug containing deuterium atoms. It is expected to be a mega-blockbuster for BMS, especially as it has been approved in both the European Union and the United States.

MRTX1133, a new cancer drug that acts as a non-covalent KRAS(G12D) inhibitor, came in second, while YCT529, a non-hormonal oral contraceptive for men, came in third with 13% of the votes.

Source: Drug Hunter