Hematide suspended in chemotherapy anemia

US drug developer Affymax and Japanese drug major Takeda have suspended their agreement to co-develop Hematide for chemotherapy-induced anemia and to focus all efforts on the use of the drug as a treatment of chronic kidney disease-related anemia. On the day of the news, August 28, Affymax shares fell 10.1% to $15. 79 in after-hours trading.

Takeda has been conducting Phase I studies of the pegylated, peptide-based erythropoiesis stimulating agent for the suspended indication in the USA and Japan. However, the firms have stopped enrolling patients in the early-stage trial given "the uncertain regulatory landscapes for ESAs in oncology indications." Earlier this year (Marketletter March 24), a US Food and Drug Administration panel recommended restricting ESAs to certain chemotherapy-induced anemia patient populations after safety concerns emerged last year (Marketletter March 19, 2007).