Partner Article

Eastern promise pushes drugs firm West

Drug discovery firm e-Therapeutics has handed over its office in China to another firm as it bids to enjoy the same success in the West as it has had in Asian markets.

The Newcastle-based plc has signed a deal with Infinitus Clinical Research – which has offices in India as well as in Cornwall – which will enable it to conduct trials that could ultimately lead to five new products entering the market.

As part of the contract, the company’s Chinese office in Nanjing will be handed over to Infinitus as the firm re-focuses its attention on Europe and the US.

Company founder Professor Malcolm Young said the office had been useful in helping the firm break into the vast Chinese market.

However, with an additional office in Bangalore, the company now has a firm foothold in eastern markets and is now keen to target western businesses.

Prof Young said: “There is exciting progress in Eastern markets and the Indian partnering deal has synergies with other Eastern developers.

“However, the key strategic driver is to turn the success in the East to drugs that are suitable for the Western market, the US and Europe in particular.

“Success in the Eastern markets has been extremely encouraging but e-Therapeutics is now focussed on bringing its drugs West.”

Prof Young also said the AIM-listed business is still on track to achieve its long-term target of becoming a £100m-a-year enterprise.

He said: “The major markets for the moment are our asthma and anti-depressant drugs which are expected to go into Phase III in India imminently.

“Anti-MRSA is also a big market for the company and it has licensed out its topical anti-MRSA drug in India as well. However there are other things coming. There is definitely breadth in the portfolio with eight clinical or clinical-ready candidates.”

E-Therapeutics’ chief medical officer Dr Roy Drucker is also a director of Infinitus, which will soon be reorganised under the umbrella of a new holding company.

The agreement with Infinitus will see e-Therapeutics conduct clinical trials on 150 patients, with the option to increase that to 500.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .