Mosaic Therapeutics has secured the latest pieces in its combination medicine strategy by licensing two clinical stage tumor drugs from fellow British biotech Astex Pharmaceuticals.
The small molecules in question are ASTX029, an ERK1/2 inhibitor that has completed a phase 2 study, and ASTX295 an MDM2 antagonist that has undergone a phase 1 trial. Both candidates have demonstrated “single-agent activity as monotherapies, enabling use in combination therapies,” Mosaic explained in an April 24 release.
In return for the licenses, Astex—which is owned by Otsuka Pharmaceutical—will receive 19% of Mosaic’s equity, with a further 3% to follow if milestones are hit.
Cambridge, U.K.-based Mosaic secured a $28 million series A two years ago to fund its ambition to “resolve cancer’s complexity to power new treatments for patients.” In practice, this means combing through large datasets to identify combinations of oncology drugs that could increase their effectiveness in biomarker-defined patient populations.
This morning’s deal “significantly accelerates Mosaic’s development path,” the biotech's chair Edward Hodgkin said in the April 24 release, meaning the company now expects to launch its first clinical study of a combination treatment next year.
“The in-licensing of these two clinical stage assets provides a step change in our development pipeline, allowing Mosaic to progress targeted drug combinations in novel biomarker-defined settings and enabling the delivery of precision medicines for patients who currently have few therapeutic options,” added Hodgkin, who is also managing partner of Mosaic’s backer Syncona Investment Management.
Astex, which like Mosaic is based in Cambridge in England, has a strong track record of working with Big Pharma in the past, including collaborating with the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research on breast cancer med Kisqali and AstraZeneca on its breast cancer treatment Truqap in the mid-2000s. More recently, the biotech secured a 2023 deal with Merck & Co.
“We recognise the significance of Mosaic’s platform, which has identified these two assets as anchor components of a pipeline of potential combination products,” Astex’s CEO and co-founder Harren Jhoti, Ph.D., said in the release. “Both drug targets are well-characterised drivers of many cancers, and we are excited to be working with the experienced team at Mosaic to expand the Company’s pipeline in combination therapies with high unmet medical need.”