Sigma-Aldrich has entered into an agreement with Pfizer under which Sigma-Aldrich will sell approximately 100 Pfizer-developed small molecule compounds to life science researchers for target characterization, assay development, screening and in vivo animal model applications.

Under the agreement between the two companies, the Pfizer compounds, which include patented and approved drug molecules such as atorvastatin, sildenafil and celecoxib, will be made available to the research community while still on patent, in some cases for the first time. The inclusion of these Pfizer compounds provides authentic material that will help advance researchers' understanding of biological systems.

"As part of our strategy to proactively seek the highest quality biologically rich products, it's exciting news for the life science research community that Pfizer is working with us to grant broad access to some of its most interesting and research-relevant bioactive small molecules," commented Dr David Smoller, president of Sigma Life Science's Research Biotech Business Unit. "This multi-compound deal not only enriches our extensive portfolio of products with authentic Pfizer material but provides valuable resources that will enable our customers to modulate their protein targets, facilitating further advances in cellular and pathway biology."

"We are pleased to form this partnership with Sigma-Aldrich, a company with an excellent track record of respecting Pfizer's intellectual property. Working with Sigma-Aldrich we are able to make authentic Pfizer compounds more readily available to the research community," added Rick Connell, vice president and Worldwide Head of External Research Solutions Center of Excellence, Pfizer.

The Pfizer compounds will be sold worldwide directly through Sigma-Aldrich as in-stock, pre-packaged items and, upon request, in bulk, and will also be mapped to genes and associated pathways and interactors via Sigma-Aldrich's award-winning online search platform, 'Your Favorite Gene powered by Ingenuity' (http://www.sigma.com/yfg). While the initial agreement includes approximately 100 Pfizer compounds, Sigma-Aldrich expects to add further Pfizer compounds on a regular basis.

The agreement with Pfizer represents the third such agreement Sigma-Aldrich has negotiated with a major pharmaceutical company.