Pfizer Inc. has Acquired Amplyx Pharmaceuticals

Pfizer Inc. today announced the acquisition of Amplyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately owned company committed to the production of treatments for crippling and life-threatening diseases that impact people with weakened immune systems. Fosmanogepix (APX001), Amplyx’s lead drug, is a novel investigational asset in development for the treatment of invasive fungal infections.

Invasive fungal infections affect more than 1.5 million people worldwide per year, with mortality rates ranging from 30 to 80 percent depending on the type of infectioni. Fosmanogepix has a novel mechanism of action that could be used to treat fungal strains that are resistant to standard therapy. Antifungal resistance may severely restrict treatment choices, and since there are only three classes of antifungal drugs currently available, a possible new therapeutic class could be of interest to both physicians and patientsii.

In nearly two decades, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved a new therapeutic class of antifungal therapies. Fosmanogepix is currently undergoing Phase 2 clinical trials to assess the safety and effectiveness of both IV and oral formulations for the treatment of patients with life-threatening invasive fungal infections caused by moulds, yeasts, and unusual moulds.

Angela Lukin, Global President, Pfizer Inc. Hospital, said, “The COVID-19 pandemic has been a stark reminder of the devastating impact of infectious diseases, highlighting the continuous need for new anti-infective therapies to treat both emerging and difficult to treat bacterial, viral and fungal infections.” In vitro, Fosmanogepix has shown broad-spectrum activity as well as widespread distribution in different tissues such as the brain, lung, kidney, and eye.