HUYA to Collaborate on Pre-clinical and Clinical Studies for Chinese Drugs
San Diego, CA – February 18, 2009 — HUYA Bioscience International, the leader in US/China pharmaceutical co-development, today announced a partnership agreement with the Beijing Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College (collectively – The Beijing Institute of Materia Medica, BIMM). The agreement grants HUYA the opportunity to collaborate with BIMM on pre-clinical safety and efficacy, and clinical trial protocols. The agreement also provides HUYA with the right of first review and negotiation for the licensing and development of certain new compounds owned or controlled by BIMM. This right includes drugs in discovery and development for use in the areas of cardiology, endocrinology, oncology, immunology, hematology, neuroscience and anti-infectives.
The agreement represents one of the first official collaborations between a U.S. and a Chinese institution to co-develop multiple pharmaceuticals on an ongoing basis. “HUYA is highly experienced and uniquely positioned in China to leverage the emerging biotech industry through strong collaborations. This is the culmination of years of relationship-building and exchange of knowledge between HUYA and BIMM,” said Mireille Gingras, PhD, CEO, HUYA. “We are proud that the Institute of Materia Medica is our official partner and together we hope to bring new drugs to market.”
“For BIMM, our partnership with HUYA signifies an opportunity to bring our expertise and our efforts in pharmaceutical development to the Western market,” said Xiaoling Wang, MD, PhD, Director, BIMM. “We will be working closely with Dr. Gingras and her team to ensure that our study designs mirror FDA and EMEA agency protocol. This is a great opportunity for us and for HUYA as it will enable new pharmaceutical compounds to more efficiently reach a global market.”
HUYA currently has two Chinese drugs undergoing preclinical development in the US – HBI-3000 and HBI-8000. Both drugs, for cardiac fibrillation and oncology respectively, have successfully passed US FDA pre-IND consultations.
The Institute of Materia Medica is dedicated to discovering and developing treatments for serious diseases by isolating natural remedies and leveraging modern technology to develop therapies based on molecular structure and untapped compounds.
HUYA’S Innovative Co-Development Model
HUYA was one of the first companies to recognize China’s potential to help meet the global need for pre-clinical and clinical stage compounds for the drug development process. Leveraging the HUYA Integrated Co-development Model for partnering with Chinese research institutions and pharmaceutical companies, HUYA identifies and licenses the most promising pre-clinical and clinical stage compounds in China. Through collaborations with its Chinese partners, the company provides a bridge into the Western development process and biopharma market.
Compounds are validated through a rigorous discovery, selection and development process in China, streamlining and accelerating development in the West. HUYA’s model relies on longevity of relationships with its Chinese partners to provide a continuous source of compounds rather than a one- time single compound strategy.
One of the key differentiators of HUYA’s approach is the assembly of a high-level team of scientific and clinical advisors for each new compound. The team collaborates with its Chinese partners to discuss and design clinical trials as the compounds move through the Chinese and the U.S. development process, speeding the process and mitigating risk. HUYA’s global team of scientist and clinician advisors includes Benedict Lucchesi, PhD MD, Peter R. Kowey, MD, Dennis Roy, MD, Jefferson L. Anderson, MD, Eric J. Topol, MD, and Stanley Nattel, MD, John McHutchison, MD, Alex Adjei, MD, PhD, Alan List, MD, Patricia LoRusso, DO, Jackie Walling, MD, PhD, and Michael Robertson, MD.
About HUYA
HUYA is the leader in U.S./China pharmaceutical co-development. With three strategic offices in China, the broadest Chinese compound portfolio, and more exclusive agreements with premier Chinese biotech centers than any other company, HUYA has pioneered the most innovative and productive approach for pharmaceutical co-development between the U.S. and China. HUYA has joint headquarter offices in San Diego, CA, and Shanghai. Additional information about the company is available at www.huyabio.com.
About BIMM
The Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College is one of the premier institutions for drug research in China. It was founded in 1958 and now has more than 400 employees, of which approximately 300 have scientific or technical backgrounds. The Institute staff includes more than 100 professors and associate professors, three members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and two members of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. The main task of the Institute is discovery of new drugs for the treatment of commonly occurring diseases that seriously threaten people’s health. At the same time, emphasis is put on the application and development of modern medical theory and high technology. Since the establishment of the Institute, more than 270 prizes have been awarded for its research achievements and more than 100 new drugs have been developed.
Contact
USA:
Jan Tuttleman, PhD
Vice President, Marketing
HUYA Bioscience International, LLC
(858) 798-8800
jtuttleman@huyabio.com
China:
Ben Ni, PhD
Head of Therapeutics
HUYA Bioscience International
86 (21) 51323312
bni@huyabio.com
Media Contacts:
Amy Berry
(415) 793-2258
amyeberry@comcast.net
Juliet Travis
(510) 452-3771
juliet@travispr.com