AstraZeneca quietly sweeps out some notable mid-stage drug programs
February 6, 2014 | By John Carroll
FierceBiotech
As AstraZeneca was trumpeting the expansion of its late-stage pipeline on Thursday, the pharma giant ($AZN) also unceremoniously swept 15 therapeutic programs out of its pipeline--including a notable mid-stage therapy for depression along with an arthritis drug that had been tapped as a top prospect--leaving behind a shrinking group of neuroscience projects and not a word of explanation on the significance of the clinical executions.
In a section of discontinued projects for the year, AstraZeneca included AZD6765, one of the "Special K" experimental projects which had been mounted to see if a therapy could be devised that would provide the anti-depressive benefit of the party drug without the party. The ketamine-like drug had been highlighted for its ability to trigger a rapid response among patients suffering from depression. But the effect could be ephemeral.
A couple of months ago FierceBiotech was tipped off that the drug had failed the second of two Phase II studies and was being dumped--though a spokesperson for the company declined to confirm or deny the report, noting that the update today would include the latest list of Phase I/Phase II fatalities.
In today's list of discontinued projects, AstraZeneca only notes that the depression drug failed for both safety and efficacy.
The discards also include the arthritis drug MEDI-5117 for pain. About a year ago, MedImmune chief Bahija Jallal had highlighted a deal with WuXi PharmaTech to develop 5117 for China as an important initiative. Heralded back in the fall of 2012, AstraZeneca retained half the rights to 5117 and had the option to buy back all the rights in the deal, which was intended to carve a shortcut to the Asian market.
AstraZeneca's reason for discontinuation: "Safety/efficacy."
The dud list includes AZD8330 (Array's ARRY-424704) an MEK 1/2 inhibitor that was in a Phase I study back in 2009; MEDI-557 for RSV; MEDI-575, which had been in a Phase II for glioblastoma multiforme and evidently non-small cell lung cancer.
Fostamatinib for rheumatoid arthritis was publicly dismissed by AstraZeneca last year, but several other lesser known drugs were written off in the respiratory field: AZD5423, AZD7594 and MED-7814 for COPD, as well as MEDI-4212 for asthma. MEDI-7814 didn't make it for "economic" reasons.
There was also a set of three Alzheimer's therapies, AZD1446, AZD3480, AZD5213, which AstraZeneca had publicly handed back to Targacept ($TRGT) last spring. AZD1446 targets the alpha4beta2 neuronal nicotinic receptor and came out of the research collaboration between Targacept and AstraZeneca. That program was advanced after a major late-stage program for a depression drug was scuttled by bad data, raising some serious questions about Targacept's scientific approach and AstraZeneca's knack for picking losers.
AstraZeneca says it's adopting a new approach to burying the dead. It will do it quarterly now rather than every 6 months.
- here's a link to the pipeline update (PDF)
Related Articles:
AstraZeneca is cutting 168 jobs as it shutters an Indian R&D site
AstraZeneca joins stepped-up antibiotic R&D action with FOB Synthesis deal
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February 6, 2014 | By John Carroll
FierceBiotech
As AstraZeneca was trumpeting the expansion of its late-stage pipeline on Thursday, the pharma giant ($AZN) also unceremoniously swept 15 therapeutic programs out of its pipeline--including a notable mid-stage therapy for depression along with an arthritis drug that had been tapped as a top prospect--leaving behind a shrinking group of neuroscience projects and not a word of explanation on the significance of the clinical executions.
In a section of discontinued projects for the year, AstraZeneca included AZD6765, one of the "Special K" experimental projects which had been mounted to see if a therapy could be devised that would provide the anti-depressive benefit of the party drug without the party. The ketamine-like drug had been highlighted for its ability to trigger a rapid response among patients suffering from depression. But the effect could be ephemeral.
A couple of months ago FierceBiotech was tipped off that the drug had failed the second of two Phase II studies and was being dumped--though a spokesperson for the company declined to confirm or deny the report, noting that the update today would include the latest list of Phase I/Phase II fatalities.
In today's list of discontinued projects, AstraZeneca only notes that the depression drug failed for both safety and efficacy.
The discards also include the arthritis drug MEDI-5117 for pain. About a year ago, MedImmune chief Bahija Jallal had highlighted a deal with WuXi PharmaTech to develop 5117 for China as an important initiative. Heralded back in the fall of 2012, AstraZeneca retained half the rights to 5117 and had the option to buy back all the rights in the deal, which was intended to carve a shortcut to the Asian market.
AstraZeneca's reason for discontinuation: "Safety/efficacy."
The dud list includes AZD8330 (Array's ARRY-424704) an MEK 1/2 inhibitor that was in a Phase I study back in 2009; MEDI-557 for RSV; MEDI-575, which had been in a Phase II for glioblastoma multiforme and evidently non-small cell lung cancer.
Fostamatinib for rheumatoid arthritis was publicly dismissed by AstraZeneca last year, but several other lesser known drugs were written off in the respiratory field: AZD5423, AZD7594 and MED-7814 for COPD, as well as MEDI-4212 for asthma. MEDI-7814 didn't make it for "economic" reasons.
There was also a set of three Alzheimer's therapies, AZD1446, AZD3480, AZD5213, which AstraZeneca had publicly handed back to Targacept ($TRGT) last spring. AZD1446 targets the alpha4beta2 neuronal nicotinic receptor and came out of the research collaboration between Targacept and AstraZeneca. That program was advanced after a major late-stage program for a depression drug was scuttled by bad data, raising some serious questions about Targacept's scientific approach and AstraZeneca's knack for picking losers.
AstraZeneca says it's adopting a new approach to burying the dead. It will do it quarterly now rather than every 6 months.
- here's a link to the pipeline update (PDF)
Related Articles:
AstraZeneca is cutting 168 jobs as it shutters an Indian R&D site
AstraZeneca joins stepped-up antibiotic R&D action with FOB Synthesis deal
AstraZeneca's Soriot faces off against skeptics, preaches late-stage R&D revival