AstraZeneca buys cancer researcher KuDOS

AstraZeneca has agreed to purchase British cancer researcher KuDOS Pharmaceuticals for ?121 million.

KuDOS currently specialises in the discovery and development of cancer treatments, based upon inhibiting the repair of DNA. AstraZeneca said that the acquisition would improve the company’s cancer medication portfolio.

AstraZeneca’s record in cancer research was hampered in 2004 by the failure of its drug Iressa to improve survival rates amongst individuals with non-small cell lung cancer.

Dr John Patterson, executive director of development at AstraZeneca, said in a statement: “KuDOS Pharmaceuticals is an excellent opportunity to acquire an established technology platform additive to our own oncology research capabilities and promising early development stage compounds at the same time.”

KuDOS already has one compound, KU 59436, undergoing phase I development. The drug inhibits poly-ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) enzymes, which work to repair damage to single strand DNA. By inhibiting the enzyme, the KuDOS claims that tumour cells are killed whilst normal cells are left unaffected.

AstraZeneca said that the company will become a hub for research into DNA repair, and would report to its Global Cancer and Infection Research Area, which already has sites in India, the US and the UK.

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