Biocon’s subsidiary Syngene International, one of India’s largest contract research organisations, and the US-based Bristol-Myers Squibb have announced a five-year extension of their drug discovery and development collaboration in India. Since 2007, Bristol-Myers Squibb has been working with Syngene and Biocon Ltd to develop integrated capabilities in medicinal and process chemistry, biology, biotechnology, biomarkers, drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics, analytical research, and pharmaceutical development at the Biocon Bristol-Myers Squibb Research Center (BBRC) in Bangalore.
The US-India collaboration has produced six drug candidates for further study and also helped Bristol-Myers Squibb reduce the time and costs associated with advancing new compounds to first-in-human studies. One drug candidate currently in clinical trials was discovered at BBRC and early nonclinical development work done at BBRC has enabled most of Bristol-Myers Squibb’s small molecule assets to advance to later stages of development over the last five years.
Peter Bains, Director, Syngene International, said: “We are extremely delighted to extend our discovery and development partnership with Bristol-Myers Squibb for another five years. This extension reflects the strength of our existing collaboration which has delivered many successful outcomes. The scope of Syngene’s engagement has expanded to encompass a broad range of integrated service offerings across the drug discovery and development continuum.”
Francis Cuss, Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, said, “I am excited about the opportunity to continue our highly productive collaboration with Biocon and Syngene. The BBRC has supported the nonclinical development of a large proportion of our small-molecule portfolio assets since its inception, and is a premier example of the high-quality innovative drug hunting that is taking place in India today.”
The US-India collaboration has produced six drug candidates for further study and also helped Bristol-Myers Squibb reduce the time and costs associated with advancing new compounds to first-in-human studies. One drug candidate currently in clinical trials was discovered at BBRC and early nonclinical development work done at BBRC has enabled most of Bristol-Myers Squibb’s small molecule assets to advance to later stages of development over the last five years.
Peter Bains, Director, Syngene International, said: “We are extremely delighted to extend our discovery and development partnership with Bristol-Myers Squibb for another five years. This extension reflects the strength of our existing collaboration which has delivered many successful outcomes. The scope of Syngene’s engagement has expanded to encompass a broad range of integrated service offerings across the drug discovery and development continuum.”
Francis Cuss, Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, said, “I am excited about the opportunity to continue our highly productive collaboration with Biocon and Syngene. The BBRC has supported the nonclinical development of a large proportion of our small-molecule portfolio assets since its inception, and is a premier example of the high-quality innovative drug hunting that is taking place in India today.”