Crf2 receptor agonists and their use in therapy

A compound which is a peptide, the peptide comprising the amino acid sequence of formula (I):

• X1-X2-X3-X4-X5-X6-X7-X8-X9-X10-X11-X12-X13-X14-X15-X16-X17-X18-X19-X20-X21-X22-X23-X24-X25-X26-X27-X28-X29-X30-X31-X32-X33-X34-X35-X36-X37-X38 (I)
• or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, wherein:
• X1 is isoleucine (I) or phenylalanine (F);
• X2 is valine (V) or threonine (T);
• X3 is leucine (L);
• X4 is serine (S);
• X5 is leucine (L);
• X6 is aspartate (D);
• X7 is valine (V) or D-valine (v);
• X8 is proline (P);
• X9 is isoleucine (I) or threonine (T);
• X10 is lysine (K), glutamate (E), histidine (H), or glycine (G);
• X11 is isoleucine (I) or leucine (L);
• X12 is lysine (K), wherein the epsilon-amino group of the lysine side chain is covalently bound to an albumin-binding moiety;
• X13 is glutamine (Q) or lysine (K);
• X14 is isoleucine (I), lysine (K), or 2-aminoisobutyric acid (Aib);
• X15 is leucine (L);
• X16 is leucine (L) or phenylalanine (F);
• X17 is glutamate (E) or lysine (K);
• X18 is glutamine (Q);
• X19 is alanine (A), glutamate (E), or glutamine (Q);
• X20 is lysine (K) or arginine (R);
• X21 is glutamine (Q) or lysine (K);
• X22 is lysine (K), arginine (R), or glutamate (E);
• X23 is lysine (K) or 2-aminoisobutyric acid (Aib);
• X24 is glutamine (Q), 2-aminoisobutyric acid (Aib), leucine (L), or glutamate (E);
• X25 is arginine (R), lysine (K), or 2-aminoisobutyric acid (Aib);
• X26 is alanine (A), glutamate (E), 2-aminoisobutyric acid (Aib), or glutamine (Q);
• X27 is glutamine (Q), 2-aminoisobutyric acid (Aib), or lysine (K);
• X28 is alanine (A);
• X29 is glutamate (E) or lysine (K);
• X30 is lysine (K) or threonine (T);
• X31 is asparagine (N) or alanine (A);
• X32 is lysine (K), alanine (A), valine (V), threonine (T), glutamate (E), or 2-aminoisobutyric acid (Aib);
• X33 is arginine (R), lysine (K), or glutamine (Q);
• X34 is isoleucine (I) or leucine (L);
• X35 is leucine (L);
• X36 is alanine (A) or glutamate (E);
• X37 is glutamine (Q) or arginine (R);
• and
• X38 is isoleucine (I) or valine (V);
• and
• wherein the albumin-binding moiety is a group of the formula (II):
• —Z1—Y—Z2—C(O)R1 (II)
• wherein:
• Y is AEEA, {AEEA}2, {AEEA}3, Gly, {Gly}2, {Gly}3, N-MeGly, {N-MeGly}2, {N-MeGly}3 or absent, wherein Y is absent when Z2 is gGlu, or {gGlu}2, and wherein AEEA denotes [2-(2-aminoethoxy)ethoxy]-acetyl;
• Z1 and Z2 are each independently selected from gGlu, {gGlu}2, {gGlu}3, {gGlu}4 or absent, wherein Z1 is absent when Y is {AEEA}2 and Z2 is gGlu or {gGlu}2;
• and
• R1 is —(CH2)xCOOH or —(CH2)xCH3, wherein x is an integer from 12 to 22.