Bristol-Myers Squibb And CRO Syngene International To Continue Collaboration
Bristol-Myers has announced that it will be expanding its drug discovery collaboration with Syngene International. Syngene International is the largest contract research organization in India. The two parties will enter into a five year extension of their drug discovery collaboration in the country of India.
The companies first started working together in 2007, when Bristol-Myers partnered with Syngene and its parent company Biocon in order to develop integrated capabilities in medicinal and process chemistry, biology, biotechnology, analytical research, biomarkers, drug metabolism, pharmacokinetics, and pharmaceutical development, among other fields. The companies share a facility — the Biocon Bristol-Myers Squibb Research Center, or BBRC—in Bangalore. So far, the collaboration has produced six different drug candidates that are being examined for future development.
Bristol-Myers officials have stated that the partnership has helped the company to limit the costs and time associated with developing new compounds to first in human studies. Peter Bains, the director of Syngene International, commented on the extension of the partnership between the companies. “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, the executive vice president and chief scientific officer of Bristol-Myers Squibb, echoed the sentiments. He noted that the BBRC has helped to support the company’s nonclinical development and increased the number of the company’s small-molecule portfolio assets.
The BBRC has become the largest Bristol-Myers research and development facility located outside of the US. The facility has more than 400 researchers. The facility was developed jointed by the two companies at Biocon Park in Bangalore. Capabilities available at the BBRC include medicinal chemistry, biology, pharmaceutical development, pharmacology, toxicology, and targeted medicines.