Affymax Employee Review

I worked at Affymax

Pros – It has a peptide drug for anemia that is likely to be approved by the FDA. The drug has efficacy, low cost of goods, and is a good candidate for Medicare preference for the treatment of anemia for the dialysis patient population. The safety profile and monthly administration of the drug is a big advantage over the currently marketed drugs for anemia.

Cons – No more research for new targets for new drugs in the pipeline. All work was focused on the one drug; what is next? Unless a new target is identified, there isn't much for people at Affymax to do. They already laid off 95% of the researchers, so all that history and expertise is gone. It seems to be solely focused on getting Hematide through the trials, and now that they are ready to submit data to the FDA, what happens to anyone who isn't in sales and marketing?

Advice to Senior Management – Sell the company to Takeda and make some money for the stockholders, or start up R&D again. The latest worry about cardiovascular effects really caused the stock to tank. Can it be explained, or are there changes that can be made in the administration of Hematide that would ameliorate that effect? Try some positive spin in the marketing approach.