Biocon, US firm to jointly make drug for diabetes
By IANSFriday, September 11, 2009
BANGALORE - India’s biotech major Biocon Friday entered into a strategic tie-up with the US-based Amylin Pharmaceuticals to jointly produce a peptide hybrid molecule for treating diabetes.
As part of the tie-up, the two firms will collaborate to develop the therapeutic compound and share the development costs, Biocon said in a statement here.
The research will centre on Amylin’s “phybrid” technology that combines two peptide hormones into a single molecule entity.
Biocon will utilise its expertise in recombinant microbial expression to produce the compound and leverage its experience in pre-clinical and clinical development of diabetes products.
According to Biocon chairman and managing director Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, the agreement leverages the synergistic capabilities of the two companies.
“Amylin’s knowledge of peptide therapeutics and its leadership in the diabetes market, paired with our capabilities in process development, manufacturing and clinical development, provides ample scope to bring a novel therapy to diabetics,” Shaw said in the statement.
Amylin chief executive Daniel M. Bradbury said the tie-up would lead to cutting-edge peptide science to provide relief diabetic patients.
Based in San Diego, California, the 22-year-old Amylin is engaged in the discovery, development and commercialisation of drugs for treating diabetes, obesity and other diseases.
