Astex Pharmaceuticals Website: http://astx.com/
Astex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ASTX) is dedicated to the discovery and development 
of novel small molecule therapeutics with a focus on oncology. The Company is developing a proprietary pipeline of novel therapies and is creating de-risked products for partnership with leading pharmaceutical companies. Astex Pharmaceuticals developed DACOGEN® (decitabine) for Injection and receives significant royalties on global sales. SNNLive spoke with James Manuso, Ph.D., Chairman and CEO of Astex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. at the 25th Annual ROTH Conference 2013 in Laguna Beach, CA. “Astex is a NASDAQ listed company. Our focus is on hematology and oncology. We have one drug, DACOGEN, that is marketed worldwide in more than 35 countries for MDS and AML patients, Leukemia patients. And then we have two drugs that are in the clinic. One, the next generation Hypomethylater, a drug for Leukemia patients, and another, an HSP90 inhibitor, a drug for a variety of solid tumor indications. Then we have five drugs that are in the hands of partners for which we could earn more than $1 billion of revenues going forward. Finally, we ended last year with $140 million in cash and we anticipate to earn $55 million from the DACOGEN,” Dr. Manuso begins.
“We have two prioritized drugs that are each in three Phase II clinical trials. We expect at the end of this year to have a Phase II proof of concept read out on SGI110, the next generation Hypomethylator. And then, early next year, we’ll give a clear indication as to where we’re going in the Phase III trial on SGI110,” Dr. Manuso continues. As to where these clinical trials will take place, he states, “Clinical trials are typically done internationally. What we find is that is makes more sense to introduce the drug early on to many jurisdictions around the world…very clearly, our experience has been that a good drug should find an international market, and if your intention is to ultimately generate a drug that could be sold worldwide, you want to introduce it to the key opinion leaders around the world early.”
Dr. Manuso goes on to expand on DACOGEN: “Well, DACOGEN, the marketed drug, is an IV administration, and it has been proven to extend the lives of acute myeloid leukemia patients that are elderly, over 65, and that has been a major impact because its the first drug that’s ever been approved for the elderly AML indication, and that’s sold and marketed by Johnson & Johnson in the EU at this time.” For more information about Astex Pharmaceutical, check out their website. SNNLive welcomes James Manuso, Ph.D., Chairman and CEO of Astex Pharmaceuticals.
