We report the synthesis of rigid spirocyclic systems as conformationally constrained variants of the Ala-Phe-NH2 dipeptide amide C-terminus of the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). CGRP receptor antagonists containing these moieties displayed potent affinity, functional antagonism and excellent oxidative stability. Structure–activity relationship studies demonstrated the relative importance of hydrogen bond donor/acceptor functionalities and ...