Astex Pharmaceuticals

Astex Pharmaceuticals is a biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of drugs in oncology and diseases of the central nervous system.These therapies are based on the use of biophysical techniques, principally X-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), to screen and identify very small, low molecular weight fragments of drugs binding to the disease target of interest.[14] In 2023 Astex announced a further collaboration with MSD to identify small molecule candidates with activity towards the tumour suppressor protein p53 for the treatment of cancer.[15] Astex's second partnered product to be approved is Erdafitinib (brand name “Balversa”) an FGFR inhibitor that was discovered with Janssen Pharmaceuticals (a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson), and received FDA market approval for the treatment of metastatic urothelial carcinoma in 2019 subsequent to an original collaboration on FGFR inhibitors between Astex and Newcastle University.Truqap in combination with Fulvestrant (brand name “Faslodex”) was approved in the US for the treatment of adult patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, HER2-negative locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer with one or more biomarker alterations (PIK3CA, AKT1 or PTEN) in 2023.
SubsidiaryPharmaceuticalsCambridgeHarren JhotiPresidentChief Scientific OfficeroncologyParentOtsuka Pharmaceuticalbiotechnologycentral nervous systemTom BlundellChris Abellfragment-based drug discoveryNovartisJanssen PharmaceuticalsGlaxoSmithKlineNASDAQprecision medicinediseaseX-ray crystallographycryo-electron microscopymolecular weightribociclibCDK6 inhibitorErdafitinibJohnson & Johnsonmetastatic urothelial carcinomaCapivasertibAstraZenecaThe Institute of Cancer ResearchCancer Research UKFulvestrantmetastatic breast cancerWayback MachineOpenCorporatesBibcode