Discover Astex

Innovative Discovery of New Medicines

Astex is a leader in innovative drug discovery and development, committed to the fight against cancer and diseases of the central nervous system (CNS).

We are a wholly-owned subsidiary of one of Japan’s leading pharmaceutical companies, the Otsuka group, and therefore benefit from the resources and commitment of a global pharmaceutical company but also maintain operational independence.

We are pioneers of fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD)

This is now accepted as the most important advance in discovery chemistry in the last 25 years. Our FBDD platform, “Pyramid™”, has been successfully applied to therapeutic targets addressing a variety of disease areas. We also have a number of partnered products arising from drug discovery collaborations with major pharmaceutical companies.

Robust proprietary oncology product portfolio
With multiple drugs in mid-late stage clinical development worldwide

Developing a CNS product portfolio
Discovery and development of novel targeted therapeutics for defined neurodegenerative disease populations

Highly collaborative, science-driven culture
Enhanced by an “open innovation” approach with a range of strategic relationships with leading academic research institutes, research charities and via partnerships with other companies

Our operations

Our drug discovery research and preclinical development facilities, and business headquarters are located in Cambridge, UK, one of the largest biomedical clusters in Europe.