WuXi PharmaTech Co. Ltd., China's leading pharmaceutical R&D service company, announced that Merck & Co., Inc. has agreed to extend and expand an agreement through which WuXi provides a variety of chemistry-related R&D services.
The existing agreement between the two companies was signed in 2003. The new expanded agreement, extended till 2010, offers additional opportunities for collaboration, and substantially increases the number of full time WuXi scientists assisting Merck. A broader range of functional WuXi services including synthesis, process research, and medicinal chemistry, will also be utilized. Merck is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies to seek Wuxi's services. Financial terms were not disclosed, a company release stated.
"This is a win-win opportunity for both sides" says Dr Ge Li, chairman and CEO of WuXi PharmaTech. "Our partnership with Merck helps us gain world class experience, and at the same time helps Merck better deploy their R&D resources. This agreement, the result of WuXi's sustained high performance on Merck projects, contributes greatly to our strategic target of becoming a first-class fully integrated R&D service company," continued Dr Li.
WuXi PharmaTech Co., Ltd. is China's leading pharmaceutical R&D and manufacturing services provider. It provides its collaborative partners with a broad and value-added service portfolio ranging from custom synthesis, library production, lead generation and optimization, in vivo and in vitro ADMET profiling, and bioanalytical services, to chemistry process development and industrial manufacturing.
Merck & Co., Inc. is a global research driven pharmaceutical company dedicated to putting patients first. Established in 1891, Merck currently discovers, develops, manufactures and markets vaccines and medicines to address unmet medical needs. The company devotes extensive efforts to increase access to medicines through far-reaching programs that not only donate Merck medicines but also help deliver them to the people who need them. Merck also publishes unbiased health information as a not-for-profit service.