Astex Gets on the Map (ASTX)

Photo of Jon C. Ogg
By Jon C. Ogg Updated Published
This post may contain links from our sponsors and affiliates, and Flywheel Publishing may receive compensation for actions taken through them.

Astex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASTX) is the NASDAQ pre-market leader this morning on news that its subcutaneous SGI-110 interim phase I.II MDS and AML data demonstrated differentiated PK profile and good tolerability, as well as a preliminary promising complete responses in heavily pre-treated acute myelogenous leukemia patients enrolled in the Phase 1 segment of the trial.

The randomized Phase 1/2 first-in-human dose escalation study had 66 patients enrolled who were previously treated as of March 28, 2012.

In the data, two of the seven evaluable refractory AML patients with adequate hypomethylation with no prior resistance to hypomethylating agents showed a complete response and one patient showed partial response.

The pharmacokinetic data suggests delivery of decitabine by SGI-110 achieves high decitabine exposure. It also showed a longer half life and a potent dose-dependent hypomethylation induction in the daily regimen.

Shares are trading higher by 13.6% at $2.09 in the pre-market and the 52-week trading range is $1.51 to $3.35.  The market cap before the news was a mere $171 million.

JON C. OGG

Photo of Jon C. Ogg
About the Author Jon C. Ogg →

Jon Ogg has been a financial news analyst since 1997. Mr. Ogg set up one of the first audio squawk box services for traders called TTN, which he sold in 2003. He has previously worked as a licensed broker to some of the top U.S. and E.U. financial institutions, managed capital, and has raised private capital at the seed and venture stage. He has lived in Copenhagen, Denmark, as well as New York and Chicago, and he now lives in Houston, Texas. Jon received a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance at University of Houston in 1992. a673b.bigscoots-temp.com.

Continue Reading

Top Gaining Stocks

CBOE Vol: 1,568,143
PSKY Vol: 12,285,993
STX Vol: 7,378,346
ORCL Vol: 26,317,675
DDOG Vol: 6,247,779

Top Losing Stocks

LKQ
LKQ Vol: 4,367,433
CLX Vol: 13,260,523
SYK Vol: 4,519,455
MHK Vol: 1,859,865
AMGN Vol: 3,818,618