Discovery of Clinical Candidate 2‑(4-(2-((1H‑Benzo[d]imidazol-2-yl)thio)ethyl)piperazin-1-yl)‑N‑(6-methyl-2,4-bis(methylthio)pyridin-3-yl)acetamide Hydrochloride [K-604], an Aqueous-Soluble Acyl-CoA:Cholesterol O‑Acyltransferase‑1 Inhibitor

2-(4-(2-((1H-Benzo­[d]­imidazol-2-yl)­thio)­ethyl)­piperazin-1-yl)-N-(6-methyl-2,4-bis­(methylthio)­pyridin-3-yl)­acetamide hydrochloride (K-604, 2) has been identified as an aqueous-soluble potent inhibitor of human acyl-coenzyme A:cholesterol O-acyltransferase (ACAT, also known as SOAT)-1 that exhibits 229-fold selectivity for human ACAT-1 over human ACAT-2. In our molecular design, the insertion of a piperazine unit in place of a 6-methylene chain in the linker between the head (pyridylacetamide) and tail (benzimidazole) moieties led to a marked enhancement of the aqueous solubility (up to 19 mg/mL at pH 1.2) and a significant improvement of the oral absorption (the Cmax of 2 was 1100-fold higher than that of 1 in fasted dogs) compared with those of the previously selected compound, 1. After ensuring the pharmacological effects and safety, we designated 2 as a clinical candidate, named K-604. Considering the therapeutic results of ACAT inhibitors in past clinical trials, we believe that K-604 will be useful for the treatment of incurable diseases involving ACAT-1 overexpression.