Solvay and Wyeth collaborate for discovery of anti-psychotics with novel mechanisms
Expansion of existing neuroscience agreement
SOLVAY PHARMACEUTICALS and WYETH PHARMACEUTICALS announce today that they are expanding their existing neuroscience co-development, and co-commercialization agreement to include research in neuroscience.
The neuroscience co-development and co-commercialisation partnership already announced in April 2004 between SOLVAY and WYETH has resulted in a New Drug Application for bifeprunox for the treatment of patients with schizophrenia, submitted in October 2006 to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and filed by them in December. Meanwhile development continues on two other early phase neuroscience projects SLV313 and SLV314, which were part of that agreement.
Under the new agreement announced today, the parties will collaborate in a joint discovery effort targeting the identification of small molecules with the potential to be used as anti-psychotic medications. Any compounds discovered under this research collaboration will be co-owned and co-patented by SOLVAY and WYETH and could be selected for co-development and co-commercialization by SOLVAY and WYETH.
“Combining SOLVAY’S experience with that of WYETH could enable the discovery of novel candidate molecules in an expanded chemical space now based on joint knowledge. In addition, such joint efforts could, over time lead to multiple development candidates with a range of clinically valuable properties,” says Professor Les Turski, MD, Global Vice President of Research for SOLVAY PHARMACEUTICALS. “Neuroscience is a clear focus for both SOLVAY and WYETH so we are looking forward to this fascinating collaboration and expect good things to come from it” he added.
The parties will initially contribute several molecules each into this collaboration, and thereafter dedicate equal resources to the research efforts. There are no signing fees or milestone payments associated with this agreement.
Solvay Pharmaceuticals is a research driven group of companies that constitute the global pharmaceutical business of the Solvay Group. The company seeks to fulfill carefully selected, unmet medical needs in the therapeutic areas of neuroscience, cardio-metabolic, influenza vaccines, gastroenterology, specialized markets and men’s and women’s health. Its 2005 sales were EUR 2.3 billion and it employs approximately 10000 people worldwide. For more information, visit solvaypharmaceuticals.com.
SOLVAY is an international chemical and pharmaceutical Group with headquarters in Brussels. It employs some 30000 people in 50 countries. In 2005 its consolidated sales amounted to EUR 8.6 billion generated by its three activity sectors: Chemicals, Plastics and Pharmaceuticals. SOLVAY (Euronext : SOLB.BE – Bloomberg: SOLB.BB – Reuters: SOLBt.BR) is listed on the Euronext stock exchange in Brussels. Details are available at www.solvay.com.
NOTES TO EDITORS
Antipsychotic Treatments
Currently marketed antipsychotic medications, both the so-called “typical antipsychotics” (first generation) and the so-called “atypicals” (second generation) are antagonists at dopamine D2 receptors. This associates them all with a certain degree of motor disturbance and/or metabolic side effects.
Bifeprunox (mentioned above) is a third generation antipsychotic and is different, being a partial agonist at dopamine D2 receptors. The potential advantage of this candidate treatment is to stabilize a patients symptoms without inducing the metabolic side effects associated with many current therapies.