A drugmaker that's taking an unconventional approach to cancer drugs just got a $1.5 billion endorsement

pulse

November 14, 2017 3:20 PM

Loxo Oncology is building drugs that act on cancerous genetic mutations rather than the type of cancer a person has.

Bayer signed a partnership with cancer drugmaker Loxo Oncology in a deal that could be worth up to $1.5 billion.
Loxo is developing treatments that act on cancerous genetic mutations, so that the type of cancer someone has wouldn't matter so much as the genetic information gleaned from sequencing the tumor's DNA.
The company is planning to file for FDA approval by the end of 2017 or early 2018.

A company that's

The idea with these genetically defined cancer treatments is that the type of cancer someone has doesn't matter so much as the genetic information gleaned from sequencing the tumor.

Targeting a genetic mutation instead of cancer type

seen genetic patterns across cancer types the discovery

But building a treatment that's specific to a genetic mutation is a new approach to treating cancer. Most companies develop treatments for specific types of cancer, like lung cancer or melanoma, and seek approval just for that one kind of tumor at first, before setting up more trials to see how the drug does in other types of cancer.

In May, the FDA approved a drug based on genetics rather than tissue type for the first time, paving the way for others including Loxo.

Bayer said in a release Tuesday that Loxo's planning to file the drug for approval by the end of 2017 or early 2018.

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