Tapinarof

Summary

Tapinarof (CHEMBL259571) is an approved small molecule (ATC D05AX07) targeting AHR; indicated across 2 conditions including psoriasis and atopic eczema.

At a glance

• Status: Approved (max clinical phase 4)
• Modality: Small molecule
• ATC class: D05AX07
• Targets: 1 (AHR)
• Indications: 2 conditions
• Clinical trials: 20
• Chemistry: 254.32 Da · C17H18O2

Identifiers

Drug identity and classification

Field	Value
ChEMBL ID	CHEMBL259571
Name	Tapinarof
Type	Small molecule
Max phase	4
FDA approved	yes
PubChem CID	6439522
ATC	D05AX07
Molecular formula	C17H18O2
Molecular weight	254.32
InChIKey	ZISJNXNHJRQYJO-CMDGGOBGSA-N

SMILES: CC(C)C1=C(C=C(C=C1O)/C=C/C2=CC=CC=C2)O

IUPAC name: 5-[(E)-2-phenylethenyl]-2-propan-2-ylbenzene-1,3-diol

Also known as: Benvitimod, GSK-2894512, GSK2894512, Tapinarof, Vtama, Wbi-1001, WBI-1001, TAPINAROF, tapinarof

Patent coverage: 267 distinct patent families (641 SureChEMBL compound mentions), from 1 matched compound structure(s). Mentions count patents naming the compound (not distinct inventions), so promiscuous / reference molecules inflate the mention figure — families are the dedup metric.

Targets

Targets

Primary targets (GtoPdb curated mechanism): the Cancer dependency column is the DepMap CRISPR fitness signal (% of screened cell lines dependent on the target).

Gene	Target	Action	pAffinity	Cancer dependency	UniProt
AHR	Aryl hydrocarbon receptor	Agonist	7	4.5%	P35869

Broader ChEMBL bioactivity targets: 1 (assay-derived). Sample: Aryl hydrocarbon receptor.

Bioactivity

ChEMBL activities: 4 potent at pChembl ≥ 5 of 4 total. Top 30 by potency (10 = 0.1 nM, 6 = 1 µM):

Target	pChembl	Type	Value	Unit	Activity ID
AHR	7.89	EC50	13	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_26123568
AHR	7.89	EC50	13	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_29156686
AHR	7.57	EC50	27	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_25631111
AHR	7.56	EC50	27.34	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_24891113

Target pathways

Aggregated over 1 target gene(s): AHR.

Top Reactome pathways

10 total, by targets touching each:

Pathway	Targets	Genes
Metabolism	1	AHR
PPARA activates gene expression	1	AHR
Biological oxidations	1	AHR
Cytochrome P450 - arranged by substrate type	1	AHR
Phase I - Functionalization of compounds	1	AHR
Endogenous sterols	1	AHR
Xenobiotics	1	AHR
Regulation of lipid metabolism by PPARalpha	1	AHR
Metabolism of lipids	1	AHR
Aryl hydrocarbon receptor signalling	1	AHR

Dominant GO biological processes

GO term	Targets
blood vessel development	1
regulation of adaptive immune response	1
negative regulation of T cell mediated immune response to tumor cell	1
regulation of DNA-templated transcription	1
regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II	1
xenobiotic metabolic process	1
apoptotic process	1
response to xenobiotic stimulus	1
response to toxic substance	1
regulation of gene expression	1
regulation of B cell proliferation	1
circadian regulation of gene expression	1
negative regulation of DNA-templated transcription	1
positive regulation of DNA-templated transcription	1
positive regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II	1

Indications & clinical

Indications

2 indications (1 at ChEMBL trial phase 4). Phase below is the highest clinical-trial phase recorded for this drug against each disease — not the molecule’s overall approval status (that is in the Summary).

Indication	Trial phase	MONDO	EFO
psoriasis	4	MONDO:0005083	EFO:0000676
atopic eczema	3	MONDO:0004980	EFO:0000274

Clinical trials

Total trials: 20.

Phase distribution

Phase	Trials
PHASE2	5
PHASE3	4
PHASE1	4
PHASE4	3
PHASE2/PHASE3	1
PHASE1/PHASE2	1
EARLY_PHASE1	1
Not specified	1

Top trials by phase / activity

NCT	Phase	Status	Title
NCT07352566	PHASE4	NOT_YET_RECRUITING	Utilization of a Microdevice for Psoriasis and Atopic Dermatitis
NCT05064748	PHASE4	UNKNOWN	Phase IV Clinical Study of Benvitimod Cream in the Treatment of Mild to Moderate Psoriasis in Adults
NCT06103695	PHASE4	COMPLETED	Vtama in Psoriasis Patients Being Treated With Biologics.
NCT05981118	PHASE2/PHASE3	ENROLLING_BY_INVITATION	Comparison of Post-Inflammatory Pigment Alteration After Psoriasis Treatment (PIPA - Dermavant)
NCT03202004	PHASE3	WITHDRAWN	GSK2894512 Vehicle-Controlled Study for Adult Plaque Psoriasis
NCT03956355	PHASE3	COMPLETED	Tapinarof for the Treatment of Plaque Psoriasis in Adults (3001)
NCT03983980	PHASE3	COMPLETED	Tapinarof for the Treatment of Plaque Psoriasis in Adults (3002)
NCT05326672	PHASE3	UNKNOWN	Phase III Clinical Study of Benvitimod Cream in the Treatment of Mild to Moderate Atopic Dermatitis
NCT06561321	PHASE2	RECRUITING	Study to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of Tapinarof in Adults With Palmoplantar Keratoderma
NCT00837551	PHASE1/PHASE2	COMPLETED	Phase IIa Study of WBI-1001 Cream for Atopic Dermatitis
NCT01098721	PHASE2	COMPLETED	A Safety/Efficacy Study of a Non-steroid, Topical Cream Treatment of Psoriasis Over 12-weeks
NCT01098734	PHASE2	COMPLETED	Non-steroid, Atopic Dermatitis Phase IIb 12-week Trial; Topical WBI-1001 Cream
NCT02564042	PHASE2	COMPLETED	A Dose-Finding Study of GSK2894512 Cream in Subjects With Plaque Psoriasis
NCT02564055	PHASE2	COMPLETED	A Dose-Finding Study of GSK2894512 Cream in Subjects With Atopic Dermatitis (AD)
NCT01984775	PHASE1	COMPLETED	A Study to Evaluate the Irritation Potential of GSK2894512 Cream on Skin in Healthy Subjects
NCT02466152	PHASE1	COMPLETED	Pharmacokinetic Study of Topical GSK2894512 Cream
NCT02637206	PHASE1	COMPLETED	Skin Irritation Study of GSK2894512 Cream
NCT03201978	PHASE1	WITHDRAWN	A Study to Evaluate Pharmacokinetic (PK), Safety and Tolerability of GSK2894512 in Healthy Adult Subjects
NCT06661213	EARLY_PHASE1	ENROLLING_BY_INVITATION	Tapinarof for Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus
NCT05326659	Not specified	UNKNOWN	Efficacy and Safety of Benvitimod Cream in the Retreatment of Mild to Moderate Psoriasis

Clinical evidence (CIViC)

No CIViC predictive evidence (expected for non-precision-medicine drugs).

Pharmacology

Pharmacogenomics

No PharmGKB pharmacogenomic data curated for this drug.

Related molecules

Related molecules

Molecules sharing ≥1 of this drug’s curated primary targets, merged from two biobtree sources and ranked by shared-target count, then clinical phase: ChEMBL clinical-stage candidates (development phase ≥2) and PubChem drug-class bioactivity (approved / known drugs acting on the target). Deduplicated by drug name; the drug’s own salt forms are excluded. Note: for a drug with few primary targets a shared-target match can reflect off-target / promiscuous binding rather than the same therapeutic mechanism — the phase ordering surfaces bona-fide therapeutics first.

10 molecules share ≥1 primary target. Top 10 by shared-target count:

Molecule	Source	Status	Shared targets
ARUNDINE	ChEMBL	Phase 3	AHR
INDIGO	ChEMBL	Phase 3	AHR
EZUTROMID	ChEMBL	Phase 2	AHR
ILANTIMOD	ChEMBL	Phase 2	AHR
INDIRUBIN	ChEMBL	Phase 2	AHR
Bisacodyl	PubChem	Approved	AHR
Leflunomide	PubChem	Approved	AHR
Oxycodone	PubChem	Approved	AHR
Oxymorphone	PubChem	Approved	AHR
Resveratrol	PubChem	Approved	AHR