Eisai and Charles River Laboratories Announce Collaboration for New Drug Discovery

HATFIELD, England, February 15, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

NOT FOR SWISS/AUSTRIAN MEDIA   

Collaboration will see Charles River scientists make use of Eisai's cutting-edge research and development facilities in Hatfield, UK

Eisai and Charles River Laboratories today announce that they have signed a collaboration agreement which will see Charles River scientists work at Eisai's research and development facilities in Hatfield, UK.

The collaboration will involve Charles River supporting Eisai scientists from Japan, USA and the UK on a range of synthetic and medicinal chemistry projects, including those seeking novel treatments for neurological diseases. This is an example of Eisai's commitment to Open Innovation and novel collaborative working practices.

Charles River scientists will also participate in a medicinal chemistry project to discover new antimalarial drugs with activity against drug resistant strains of disease, which could potentially address this area of unmet medical need in malaria treatment. This work is in collaboration with the GHIT Fund (Global Health Innovative Technology Fund) and Medicines for Malaria Venture, and builds upon earlier research by Eisai which has focused on malaria and neglected diseases to improve access to medicines in developing countries.

"We are pleased to work in collaboration with Charles River Laboratories and look forward to welcoming their expert scientists into our research and development facilities in the coming weeks. This agreement will see Charles River scientists explore a number of important disease areas, and malaria could hardly be a more important starting point," comments Gary Hendler, President & CEO Eisai EMEA.

"We expect our collaboration with Eisai will be the first of many. We're excited to develop creative solutions, with Eisai and other partners, by bringing our scientific expertise to their site, thereby streamlining their research processes. Each insourcing partnership is unique, and we have the ability to tailor our approach for the specific needs of each project," comments Dr. Emily Hickey, Corporate Senior Vice President, Global Discovery Services, Charles River Laboratories.

Almost half the world's population is at risk of malaria, a life-threatening disease. While malaria is preventable and curable, some population groups are more vulnerable to the disease, including children under 5 years of age and pregnant women.^[1] Over the past 15 years, great strides have been made in the control of this disease, yet it continues to infect over 200 million and takes the lives of almost half a million people each year, mainly young children in Africa. One of the major challenges facing malaria treatment is the reported emergence of resistance to the current gold standard treatment, emphasizing the urgent need for novel medicines.

This collaboration underscores Eisai's human health care (hhc) mission, the company's commitment to innovative solutions in disease prevention, cure and care for the health and well-being of people worldwide. Eisai is committed to the therapeutic areas of oncology and neuroscience to address the unmet medical needs of patients and their families.

***ENDS***

Notes to Editors 

About Charles River Laboratories 

Charles River provides essential products and services to help pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, government agencies and leading academic institutions around the globe accelerate their research and drug development efforts. Our dedicated employees are focused on providing clients with exactly what they need to improve and expedite the discovery, early-stage development and safe manufacture of new therapies for the patients who need them. To learn more about our unique portfolio and breadth of services, visit http://www.criver.com.

About Eisai Co., Ltd. 

Eisai Co., Ltd. is a leading global research and development-based pharmaceutical company headquartered in Japan. We define our corporate mission as "giving first thought to patients and their families and to increasing the benefits health care provides," which we call our human health care (hhc) philosophy. With over 10,000 employees working across our global network of R&D facilities, manufacturing sites and marketing subsidiaries, we strive to realise our hhc philosophy by delivering innovative products in various therapeutic areas with high unmet medical needs, including Oncology and Neuroscience. 

As a global pharmaceutical company, our mission extends to patients around the world through our investment and participation in partnership-based initiatives to improve access to medicines in developing and emerging countries.

For more information about Eisai Co., Ltd., please visit http://www.eisai.com

References 

1. World Health Organisation. Malaria. 2015. Available at: http://www.who.int/gho/malaria/en/ Last accessed: January 2016