Pfizer acquires Amplyx Pharma and with it fosmanogepix, a novel proposed treatment for fungal infections

Pfizer Inc has. announced that it has acquired Amplyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately-held company dedicated to the development of therapies for debilitating and life-threatening diseases that affect people with compromised immune systems. Amplyx’s lead compound, Fosmanogepix (APX001), is a novel investigational asset under development for the treatment of invasive fungal infections.More than 1.5 million cases of invasive fungal infections occur worldwide each year, with mortality rates as high as 30-80% across infection types. Fosmanogepix has a novel mechanism of action with the potential to target fungal strains resistant to standard of care therapy. As there are only three classes of antifungal medications currently available, antifungal resistance can severely limit treatment options; a potential new therapeutic class may therefore be of importance for both physicians and patients. There has been no novel therapeutic class of antifungal therapies approved by the FDA in nearly 20 years.