To mark its 10th anniversary, Drug Discovery & Development magazine invited pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to reflect on the history and made predictions about future of the industry. Featured here are verbatim comments from this company.

Infinity Pharmaceuticals, Inc

Headquarters 
Cambridge, Mass.

Years in Drug Research 
5 Years

Spokesperson
Steven H. Holtzman, Chair, President and Chief Executive Officer

Web site 

About the company/organization
Infinity is an innovative drug discovery and development company that is seeking to discover, develop, and deliver to patients best-in-class medicines for the treatment of cancer and related conditions. Infinity’s ongoing commitment to research in emerging cancer targets, such as Heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) and the Hedgehog signaling pathway, are evidence of its innovative approach to oncology drug discovery and development.

The cornerstone of Infinity’s industry-leading Hsp90 franchise is novel i.v. anti-chaperone agent IPI-504 (retaspimycin hydrochloride), which has shown potent and selective activity and is currently being evaluated in multiple tumor types. A Phase 3 registration trial evaluating IPI-504 in refractory gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) is scheduled to commence in 2008. Infinity is also advancing an oral anti-chaperone agent, IPI-493, currently in Phase 1 development.

A third novel drug candidate, IPI-926, targets the Hedgehog signaling pathway and is poised to enter Phase 1 evaluation by the end of 2008.

A 10-year perspective: Advances and roadblocks
Our pipeline at Infinity did not exist 10 years ago; not even five years ago. The genetics and genomics revolution provided the basis for much deeper insights into cancer biology – as has gaining a better understanding of the relationship between specific oncogenes and certain cancers, and the genetic status of those cancers among certain patients. Closer to home, what we’ve learned at Infinity about the increasingly critical role of the Hsp90 chaperone in supporting oncogene function and cancer cell survival -- particularly, how it relates to emerging issues of resistance – has been a significant driver of our anti-chaperone program research. Similarly, the progress in our Hedgehog signaling pathway inhibitor program is based on a much better understanding of the role of the aberrant reactivation of embryonic growth factor pathways – and also excitingly, the role of Hedgehog signaling in cancer stem cells and the relationship to cancer recurrence.

R&D Challenges in the next 10 years
The key transformation - which has begun, and which will continue in the next 10 years - will be the conversion of cancer from being a mortal disease to a chronic disease. Our goal is to see cancer evolve from a disease that people die of, to a disease that people die with. The advances in cancer research taking place today - and that Infinity is an important part of - can make this goal attainable. This will require the development of treatments that deliver significant impact on longevity and quality of patients’ lives. To achieve this, we continue to deepen our understanding of drug resistance, personalized medicine, and the role of fundamental cellular physiology in cancer cells.

Business/regulatory challenges for the next 10 years
As cancer transitions to being considered a chronic disease rather than a mortal disease, cancer drugs will need to make a material – not merely marginal – improvement in patient’s lives in order to be approved by regulatory authorities and appropriately reimbursed. Cancer drug development and commercialization companies will need to create and facilitate strategies for efficient and successful development of drugs that are reimbursable at an achievable rate.

Bold Prediction: Where will the company/organization be in 10 years?
Infinity will be at the forefront of the movement to discover, develop and commercialize important, novel cancer drugs that make a significant difference in patients’ lives, with an organizational culture that will continue to be recognized as one that is conducive to innovation.

Bold Prediction: Where will the industry will be in 10 years?
In 10 years, the industry will have moved from unit-based to value-based pricing. Companies should be rewarded for developing treatment strategies requiring less - not more - drug for patients; therefore, the industry will need to move to a pricing structure that rewards the discovery and development of medicines that provide true benefit to patients and the broader healthcare system.