A randomized, double-blinded Phase III trial of resatorvid in sepsis was halted early due to lack of efficacy, and the compound has become a widely used tool compound in biological research.
It has antiinflammatory and neuroprotective effects in preclinical models. It has been explored in preclinical studies of several forms of cancer, including multiple myeloma, breast cancer, and ovarian cancer, and has been suggested for study in skin cancers.
Efforts have been made to improve resatorvid by making prodrugs and deuterated derivatives.
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Kashani B, Zandi Z, Karimzadeh MR, Bashash D, Nasrollahzadeh A, Ghaffari SH (December 2019). "Blockade of TLR4 using TAK-242 (resatorvid) enhances anti-cancer effects of chemotherapeutic agents: a novel synergistic approach for breast and ovarian cancers". Immunologic Research. 67 (6): 505–516. doi:10.1007/s12026-019-09113-8. PMID32026322. S2CID211048929.
Zandi Z, Kashani B, Bashash D, Poursani EM, Mousavi SA, Chahardoli B, Ghaffari SH (February 2020). "The anticancer effect of the TLR4 inhibition using TAK-242 (resatorvid) either as a single agent or in combination with chemotherapy: A novel therapeutic potential for breast cancer". Journal of Cellular Biochemistry. 121 (2): 1623–1634. doi:10.1002/jcb.29397. PMID31535397. S2CID202689986.