Astex welcomes European approval of Dacogen

Astex Pharmaceuticals has responded positively to news of the European Commission's decision to approve the new acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) drug Dacogen.

The compound – which was co-developed by Astex and will be marketed by Janssen internationally and by Eisai in the US – has been ratified for use among AML sufferers aged 65 and above.

Dacogen is the first medicine to be approved and labelled specifically for elderly AML patients, with data from the phase III clinical study Daco-016 demonstrating the therapy's effectiveness.

Astex will be receiving royalty payments from its collaborative partners based on the future sales of Dacogen.

Dr James Manuso, chairman and chief executive officer of Astex Pharmaceuticals, said: "We are pleased that elderly AML patients who are not candidates for standard induction chemotherapy in the European Union can now be offered treatment with Dacogen."

Last month, the company celebrated the accomplishment of president and director Dr Harren Jhoti after he was presented with a prestigious Prous Institute-Overton and Meyer Award for New Technologies in Drug Discovery by the European Federation for Medicinal Chemistry.