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LibraGen
signs partnership agreement with Pierre Fabre Medicament R&D |
LibraGen will use its industrial biocatalysis know-how to
carry out research into optimizing the synthesis of a pharmaceutical molecule
Toulouse, France, January 5, 2006 - LibraGen, a bacterial diversity-based
process and discovery specialist, announces today that it has signed a
partnership agreement with the R&D department of Pierre Fabre Medicament,
France's second largest independent pharmaceutical company. Under the terms of
the agreement, LibraGen will use enzymatic technologies to optimize the
synthesis of a molecule which is the main active ingredient of one of Pierre
Fabre's medicines. This enzymatic production process bypasses the need for
several stages of chemical synthesis, thus optimizing production costs and
significantly improving environmental impact.
"Biocatalysis is a tool which is revolutionizing chemical production processes
in the pharmaceutical field," said Renaud Nalin, LibraGen's CEO. "This agreement
demonstrates the level of maturity and expertise now attained by LibraGen in the
field of biocatalysis, and also reflects our strategic commitment to the forging
of partnerships with the pharma industry. This research is a first step towards
a long term objective of developing a biocatalytic synthesis production process
for the molecule in question based on the results we get. It also fits into our
development strategy which is focused on biocatalysis and on the pharma
industry."
Pierre Fabre Medicament has a firm commitment to partner in the later stages of
development and has a strong focus on early R&D of new molecules whether from
natural, chemical or biological origin. The company has two strands to its
strategy: strengthening its research through a network of collaborations with
academic institutions or young biotech companies, and seeking out industrial
partners for the later stage development of products that have come out of its
labs and for their worldwide marketing.
LibraGen has the scientific know-how and technology that enable it to develop
and optimize enzymatic synthesis processes for complex molecules. This work is a
prerequisite for the development of large scale production processes for active
molecules. This type of collaboration also means that LibraGen and its partners
can set up with suitable new production processes and intellectual property
protection using "Green Chemistry" thus strengthening the innovative and IP
position of pharmaceutical companies on the drug market.
About Pierre Fabre Medicament:
www.pierre-fabre.com
The Pierre Fabre Group, the second-largest independent laboratory in France,
employs about 9,300 people and achieved sales of 1.47 billion euros in 2004.
Operating in the areas of ethical medicine, health products and dermo-cosmetics
with the brands Avene, Ducray, A-derma, Galenic, Klorane and Rene Furterer, it
achieves 43 percent of its business abroad. With more than 1,100 researchers,
Pierre Fabre Medicament dedicates 23 percent of its annual sales to research and
development in five major therapeutic areas in terms of public health: oncology
(the priority R&D area of Pierre Fabre Medicament with 50% of all R&D expenses),
central nervous system, cardiology, internal medicine/urology and dermatology.
About LibraGen:
www.libragen.com
LibraGen, Toulouse, France, specializes in the development of bioprocesses for
the production of healthcare molecules and the discovery of new chemical
scaffolds with cross-industry applications. By focusing on untapped
biodiversity, the company has developed a platform of proven proprietary
technologies to identify, validate and produce high added-value enzymes and
molecules for industrial, pharmaceutical, chemical, cosmetic and environmental
applications. The overall combination of LibraGen's scientific and production
know-how, technology platform and research results has already achieved a number
of successful partnerships in research and production in the fields of
cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and fine chemistry. In parallel with these
partnerships with leading pharma companies, LibraGen's internal research is
building up a pipeline of new active molecules with anti-infectious and
anti-cancer applications.
For further information, please
contact:
Andrew Lloyd & Associates
Andrew Lloyd / Heidi Thompson
allo@ala.com /
heidi@ala.com
Tel: +44 1273 675 100
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