Nicotinic acid receptor Inhibitors
4 drugsAbout Nicotinic acid receptor
The Nicotinic acid receptor (HCAR2) is a drug target. Its gene symbol is HCAR2 (Ensembl ID: ENSG00000182782).
Human genetic studies provide moderate support for HCAR2 as a therapeutic target, with variants linked to metabolic syndrome (score 0.60), physical activity (score 0.51), and breast cancer (score 0.49). There are also 20 strong eQTL/pQTL signals (max H4: 1.00).
HCAR2 is targeted by 4 FDA-approved small molecule drugs: DIROXIMEL FUMARATE, VUMERITY, TECFIDERA, and BAFIERTAM. These drugs are marketed by Biogen, BANNER LIFE SCIENCES, and ZYDUS, and are indicated for CNS and other therapeutic areas.
Strategic Insights
ℹ️ How we calculate- White space opportunity in Type 1 Diabetes with only 1 trials.
- phase3 represents biological uncertainty with 55% completion.
Nicotinic acid receptor Genetic Evidence Moderate
Genetic evidence offers moderate support for HCAR2, with a max score of 0.60.
Further research is needed to validate HCAR2 as a target for metabolic syndrome.
Evidence Across Diseases
9 totalGWAS and other genetic studies link HCAR2 to 9 diseases.
🔗 Colocalization Evidence 20 strong
max H4: 1.00eQTL/pQTL signals for HCAR2 colocalize with these GWAS traits, providing causal evidence that gene expression changes drive disease risk.
Understanding these scores
Association Score (0-1): Combines all evidence types (genetic, literature, drugs, animal models). Higher = more evidence linking target to disease. This is a ranking heuristic, not a confidence score.
L2G Score: Open Targets uses a machine learning model (Locus-to-Gene) to predict which gene is causal at each GWAS locus. L2G=0.5 means ~50% probability of being the causal gene. Only associations with L2G > 0.05 are included.
Odds Ratio (OR): From gene burden studies (UK Biobank, AstraZeneca PheWAS). Measures how loss-of-function variants affect disease risk. OR<1 = protective (inhibiting target may help), OR>1 = risk (losing function causes disease).
Beta (β): Effect size for continuous traits. β<0 = protective, β>0 = risk.
Clinical Translation (~1.8x): Based on Nelson et al. 2015: drug targets with genetic evidence have ~2x higher success rates in clinical trials. We estimate: Strong support (score ≥0.7) → ~1.8x, Moderate (0.3-0.7) → ~1.3x, Weak → baseline.
Colocalization (H4): Tests whether a GWAS signal and an eQTL/pQTL signal share the same causal variant. H4 is the posterior probability that both traits are associated AND share a causal variant. H4 > 0.8 = strong evidence that gene expression/protein levels drive disease risk. This links genetic variation → gene expression → disease, supporting the target-disease connection.
Top Nicotinic acid receptor Drugs
Three companies have approved drugs targeting HCAR2.
The market is relatively concentrated, suggesting high barriers to entry.
| Drug | Company | Approved | Indications |
|---|---|---|---|
| BAFIERTAM | BANNER LIFE SCIENCES | 2020 | 1 |
Nicotinic acid receptor Drug Modality Landscape
Modalities
Routes of Administration
Nicotinic acid receptor is amenable to small molecule drugs, with oral options available for convenient dosing.
Consider exploring alternative modalities to differentiate from existing therapies.
Nicotinic acid receptor Clinical Trials 61 trials
Completion by Phase
| Phase | Total | Completed | Failed | Active | Completion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | 12 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 75% |
| Phase 2 | 13 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 67% |
| Phase 3 | 19 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 67% |
| Phase 4 | 17 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 63% |
Top Sponsors
By Modality
Top Conditions
Phase 3 Readout Calendar Pro
1 Phase 3 trial testing approved Nicotinic acid receptor drugs across all sponsors.
Coverage: trials whose intervention is an approved drug targeting Nicotinic acid receptor. Pre-approval candidates with development codes (e.g. AZD0901, MK-7240) are not yet linked. Anchored on CT.gov primary completion date.
Nicotinic acid receptor Drug Approval Timeline (2013 - 2025)
The first drug was approved in 2013, and the most recent in 2025.
The approval timeline indicates continued interest in this target.
Pro Intelligence Preview
Deep insights for drug target analysis
Competitive Landscape
- • 3 companies competing
- • Market share by company
Full Drug Portfolio
- • All 4 approved drugs
- • Approval dates & indications
Genetic Validation
- • Full genetic evidence table
- • Effect sizes & directions
Approval Timeline
- • Full 4-drug timeline
- • First-of-modality markers
Clinical Trials Analysis
- • Competition: High (15 sponsors)
- • White space: 10 underexplored indications
- • Success rates by condition
Full summary • All drugs • Genetic evidence • Trials • Timeline
How We Calculate These Metrics
Target Attractiveness Score
A 0-100 score based on trial activity, sponsor diversity, and completion rates. Calculated from 61 clinical trials targeting Nicotinic acid receptor.
Completion rate: Percentage of trials that reached their planned endpoint. Trials terminated early, withdrawn, or suspended are not counted—these often indicate safety issues, lack of efficacy, or strategic pivots.
- Highly Attractive (80+): High trial activity, many sponsors, strong completion rates
- Attractive (60-79): Good trial activity and validation
- Moderate (40-59): Moderate interest from sponsors
- Low (under 40): Limited trial activity or validation concerns
Strategic Insights
Auto-generated insights based on trial analytics including competition intensity, white space opportunities, modality shifts, and failure patterns. We analyze trial sponsors, phases, indications, and outcomes.
Risk Signals
- High Competition: Many sponsors competing for this target (may reduce market opportunity)
- High Failure Risk: Low trial completion rates suggest development challenges
- Low Validation: Limited trial activity or poor outcomes indicate uncertain viability
- White Space Available: Underexplored indications present opportunities