A novel imidazobenzazepine template (5a) with potent dual H1/5-HT2A antagonist activity was identified. Application of a zwitterionic approach to this poorly selective and poorly developable starting point successfully delivered a class of high quality leads, 3-[4-(3-R1-2- R-5H-imidazo [1, 2-b][2] benzazepin-11-yl)-1-piperazinyl]-2, 2-dimethylpropanoic acids (eg, 9, 19, 20, and 21), characterized by potent and balanced H1/5-HT2A receptor antagonist ...