Alkem Laboratories and the University of Manitoba, Canada, have entered into a memorandum of understanding for research collaboration and product development. | |
| The collaboration is for research of therapeutic molecules and extraction of biologically active molecules from plants and animals. The pharma major will ensure production of sufficient quantities for conducting animal and human clinical trials. It will also conduct investigations for product development. |
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| The collaboration will cover research towards therapeutics for a range of disease segments with particular emphasis on oncology and diabetes. |
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| Awadhesh K Mishra, president - R&D and global extension, Alkem Labs, said the research will be carried out both in India and Canada and both parties will pursue the work in their areas of expertise. |
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| "The pharmaceutics development work will be done by Alkem and preclinical work by the University of Manitoba. Clinical research will be conducted partly at both the ends," he said. |
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| Alkem already has a significant presence in anti-bacterial, gastroenterology, pain management, cardio vascular drugs, anti-diabetes drugs, oncology and neuropsychiatry. |
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| However, in the joint research project, the quantum of investment by Alkem has not been disclosed. |
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| Alkem is revamping its R&D facility by enhancing its scientific workforce significantly, so as to cater to the needs of this collaboration. |
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| Sources from the University of Minatoba said the extraction of new entities of nutraceutical value will yield new products such as Coenzyme Q10 and pine bark extract. The new chemical entities of ethical pharmaceutical value will bring new medicines. |
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| "The R&D focus will obviously be on therapeutic categories relevant to people of India and North America. Cost-effective products with better efficacy and fewer side effects will be explored, a source said. |
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| Alkem sources said as the collaboration has an international nature, it is prudent for the company to develop products for global markets. Therefore, protection of the intellectual properties generated from the tie-up will be effected for major pharmaceutical markets of the world and the products will be promoted in all those areas. |
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| This is the first research collaboration and product development pact signed by Alkem with a foreign university. |
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| "We already have an R&D tie-up with the Banarus Hindu University to develop some lifesaving drugs. These drugs may be made available here for comparatively lower cost. With regards to R&D with foreign companies, we have recently embarked on developing some recombinant protein drugs with a German company. The products should be available for clinical trials in a year or two," a source with Alkem said. |
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| Industry analysts feel that since research tie-ups between Indian companies and foreign universities and institutions are not that common now, Alkem is among those few which have taken up this path for advancing its product portfolio. The trend is toward eventually shaping up the company into an R&D-driven company at a global scale. |
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| Recently Alkem had floated Phoenix Biopharma Research Centre at Taloja equipped to conduct phase-I clinical trials on herbal medicine, neutraceuticals and novel drug delivery systems and methodology for newer and difficult synthesizable drugs for pharma companies with strong fundamentals. |
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