Harren Jhoti co-founded Astex Pharmaceuticals back in 1999, taking on the role of chief scientific officer, a position he held until November 2007, at which point he took the title of CEO. During his time at Astex, he has also served as a member and president of the company’s board of directors.
Over the years, Jhoti has helped to propel the company forward. It is now viewed by many in the industry as a leader of innovative drug research and development. Astex has invested much of its time and money into fighting cancer and diseases that specifically target the central nervous system.
Under Jhoti’s dedicated leadership, the company has established a strong and diverse product portfolio, with multiple oncology drugs currently in clinical development that will add to Astex’s already substantial offering and which will be developed further through partnerships and alliances with academia and other companies in the field. Astex’s CEO is also keen to enrich the company’s central nervous system portfolio in a similar fashion; by collaborating with research institutes and prominent charities as well as companies.
In 2013, Astex was acquired by Otsuka Pharmaceuticals of Japan and now operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary.
It has been a long journey for Jhoti, but his drive, determination and, above all, prowess as a leader have helped to guide the company from humble beginnings to a position as a world leader in innovative small-molecule therapeutics.
On top of all this, under Jhoti’s leadership, Astex Pharmaceuticals has found its niche: specialising in fragment-based drug discovery, which is widely considered to be one of the most important advances in chemistry in the last two decades.
This kind of open innovation is extremely important in today’s environment. All in all, the pharmaceutical industry has seen productivity decline significantly over the last 25 years, but thanks to Astex Pharmaceuticals and others, that has begun to improve.