Novel fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) inhibitors: a patent review from 2015 to 2025

Introduction: Over the past decade, significant efforts have been made to develop and patent selective fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) inhibitors with favorable pharmacokinetic and safety profiles to modulate pain, inflammation and neurological disorders. Recently, attention has shifted toward dual inhibitors that combine FAAH inhibition with other targets, such as COXs, MAGL, and sEH, aiming to improve therapeutic outcomes. This review highlights the most significant patents from the last ten years in this evolving field of research. Areas covered: Patents of selective and nonselective FAAH inhibitors published from 2015 to 2025. Patent searches was conducted on Espacenet, WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) and Google Patents databases, while literature search was performed using the Artificial Intelligence (AI) visual tools Connected Papers and Research Rabbit. Expert opinion: The search for novel and clinically relevant FAAH inhibitors starts with newly disclosed chemical entities. However, reducing translation gaps also requires advances in identifying key biomarkers and developing relevant animal models that mimic target diseases. Additionally, disclosing of innovative chemical templates - including those for allosteric modulation of FAAH - and the identification of suitable and innovative multitarget directed ligands will likely establish FAAH inhibitors as a validated therapeutic option for several diseases.