FX125L is a fascinating molecule. A first-in-class anti-inflammatory agent, targeting a newly discovered pathway promoting the resolution of chronic inflammation, it holds exceptional promise as a first line treatment option in a number of major disease areas, including asthma, COPD and rheumatoid arthritis.
As Boehringer Ingelheim announce the acquisition of the FX125L from Funxional Therapeutics, a Cambridge-based privately-held biotech company founded by DrugBaron in 2005, the story of the discovery and early development of this drug product candidate illustrates some important lessons for drug discovery in the 21st Century – whether in a virtual biotech or a multinational pharma company.
The most important characteristics of FX125L are its intriguing new target and its ideal pharmaceutical properties. Both depended on a fair slice of luck, but the way in which we loaded the dice in our favour could be applied much more widely.
RxCelerate Ltd is an outsourced drug development platform based near Cambridge, UK. We specialize in delivering an entire road map of drug development services from discovery and medicinal chemistry through to formal preclinical development and clinical up to Phase IIa. In the last five years, we have witnessed dramatic changes in the drug development …
