SHANGHAI, Dec. 16, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- WuXi AppTec (WuXi),
a leading open-access R&D capability and technology platform
company serving the global pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and
medical device industries, announced today that it has formed a
strategic alliance with MedImmune, the global biologics research
and development arm of AstraZeneca. This strategic alliance
will bring cutting-edge research and technical capability for
biologics to China with the aim of
addressing unmet patient needs in AstraZeneca's main therapy areas
of respiratory, inflammation and autoimmunity; cardiovascular and
metabolic diseases; and oncology.
Under the agreement, AstraZeneca has the option to acquire WuXi
AppTec's biologics manufacturing facility in Wuxi city, one of
several manufacturing facilities for WuXi, in the next few
years. Prior to that, WuXi Biologics, the biologics division
of WuXi AppTec, remains the exclusive partner for R&D
manufacturing for MedImmune's innovative biologics in
China.
The alliance builds on the existing joint venture between WuXi
and MedImmune that was formed in 2012 to develop and commercialize
MEDI5117, a novel biologic for autoimmune and inflammatory
diseases. It is the first such collaboration in China between a global company and a Chinese
company to develop novel biologics. The IND application was
subsequently accepted by CFDA for review in March 2015. WuXi
will continue manufacturing for the program at its state-of-the-art
biologics facilities, the first in China to meet cGMP standards of the United States, the European Union and
China. WuXi is committed to its manufacturing capabilities in
China and will continue to provide
its clients with the highest quality of service.
In April 2015, WuXi announced that
it is building the largest state-of-the-art biomanufacturing
facility globally, using fourteen 2000L and two 1000L disposable
bioreactors, which will support late-phase clinical and commercial
manufacturing. The first phase of the facility will be
operational in January 2017.
"We are very pleased that our collaboration with MedImmune has
leapfrogged to another level of critical importance since our
initial collaboration in 2012," said Dr. Ge
Li, Chairman and CEO of WuXi AppTec. "The strategic
alliance, the first of its kind in China, manifests the global standards and
quality of biologics development and manufacturing at WuXi.
Through this strategic partnership, WuXi truly offers a gateway for
innovative biologics to be developed in China and to be made available to Chinese
patients in an expedited fashion."
"We are delighted to continue and broaden our collaboration with
WuXi AppTec, a company with strong leadership in the Chinese
biopharmaceutical sector, to address the healthcare needs of local
patients," said Dr. Bahija Jallal,
Executive Vice President, MedImmune. "This strategic
alliance, alongside our accelerated investments, will create a
sustainable and strategic innovation platform in China and strengthen our leadership in
developing next-generation biologics for both local needs and
patients around the world."
About WuXi AppTec
WuXi AppTec is a leading open-access R&D capability and
technology platform company serving the pharmaceutical,
biotechnology, and medical device industries, with operations in
China and the United States.
As a research-driven and customer-focused company, WuXi provides
pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device companies with a
broad and integrated portfolio of laboratory and manufacturing
services throughout the drug and medical device R&D
process. WuXi is also building a platform to provide clinical
diagnostic services directly to physicians and their patients
globally. WuXi's services are designed to help its global
partners in shortening the cycle and lowering the cost of drug and
medical device R&D. For more information on WuXi's
biologics services, please visit:
http://www.wuxiapptec.com/biologics.html.
For more information, please contact:
Aaron Shi
Director of Corporate Communications
+86-21 5046-4362
aaron_shi@wuxiapptec.com
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SOURCE WuXi PharmaTech (Cayman) Inc.