UK's Astex Announces First Boehringer Ingelheim Milestone

UK-based discovery firm Astex has announced the first milestone in its three-year collaboration with German drug major Boehringer Ingelheim. The company, based near the UK drug research hub of Cambridge and originally part-funded by the university, did not disclose the financial terms of the payment, which follows upfront funding secured at the time of the collaboration's agreement.

Astex specialises in producing novel small molecule therapeutics, based on X-ray imaging of potential drug fragments bound to proteins, which are then synthesised into compounds for clinical study. The molecules so far identified include potential therapies for cancer, inflammation and Alzheimer's disease, and a molecularly targeted oncology compound is scheduled to enter trials later this year. The company also has collaborations with AstraZeneca, sanofi aventis, Fujisawa, Mitsubishi Pharma and Schering AG.