In February of 2011 Plexxicon, Inc. was acquired by Japanese drugmaker Daiichi Sankyo, the latter gaining a late-stage melanoma treatment as it looks to bolster its fledgling cancer pipeline. Plexxikon will operate as a unit of Daiichi Sankyo, and its 45 employees have been offered to keep their jobs. Plexxikon, Inc. engages in the discovery and development of small molecule pharmaceuticals to treat human disease. The companyâs products include PLX204 for the treatment of diabetes; PLX4032 for the treatment of melanoma and colorectal cancer; and PLX5568 kinase inhibitors for the treatment of pain, polycystic kidney disease, rheumatoid arthritis, metastatic breast cancer, and renal disease. It develops a portfolio of clinical and preclinical stage programs in various therapeutic areas, including metabolic disease, such as obesity indications; oncology, such as osteolytic metastatic disease; and CNS, such as multiple sclerosis. The companyâs portfolio of clinical and preclinical stage programs for other therapeutic areas include inflammation, such as systemic lupus erythematosus, inflammatory bowel disease, and osteoporosis; and cardiovascular, including hypertension and atherosclerosi
