Onyx Pharmaceuticals About
Onyx Inc Onyx Pharmaceuticals is developing innovative small
molecule cancer treatments based on a molecular understanding of cancer.
Onyx's lead product candidate is BAY 43-9006, a novel, orally active signal
transduction inhibitor. that inhibits both tumor cell proliferation and angiogenesis
(the formation of new blood vessels to support cancer cell growth). BAY
43-9006 is the first compound to target both the RAF/MEK/ERK (MAPK)
signaling pathway to inhibit cell proliferation and the VEGFR-2/PDGFR-ß signaling
cascade to inhibit tumor angiogenesis.
The MAPK pathway represents a cascade of phosphorylation events including
three pivotal kinases, namely Raf, MEK (MAP kinase kinase), and ERK (MAP kinase).
These kinases present new opportunities for the development of novel anti-cancer
drugs designed to be target-specific and probably less toxic than conventional
chemotherapeutic agents. Onyx's lead product, BAY 43-9006,
is an orally active, small molecule agent in clinical trial for patients with
advanced
renal (kidney) cancer. In addition, the agent is being studied in Phase II
trials in melanoma, breast, lung and other cancers, as well as in several Phase
Ib trials of the agent administered in conjunction with standard chemotherapy
drugs. BAY 43-9006 was discovered and is being codeveloped by Onyx and Bayer Pharmaceuticals
Corporation.