Eisai Inc. Signs Research Collaboration Agreement With The Paoli Calmettes Institute

ANDOVER, Mass., Nov. 4, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Eisai Inc., the U.S. pharmaceutical subsidiary of Eisai Co., Ltd., today announced it has initiated a research collaboration for research and development with the Paoli Calmettes Institute (IPC), a private non-profit comprehensive cancer center in Marseille, France, which has three missions: research, care and teaching.

Under the terms of the agreement, IPC will perform chemo-informatic virtual screening of a pre-selected Eisai chemical library, to identify new protein-protein inhibitors (PPI) for further biological evaluation. The ultimate goal of the collaboration is to identify compounds for biological evaluation in oncology indications.

The collaboration will bring together the drug discovery scientists from Eisai’s Andover, Massachusetts site and IPC’s discovery researchers and medical staff. Under the terms of the agreement, Eisai and IPC will evaluate the results after one year to determine if they would like to negotiate a long-term collaboration agreement.

“This initial collaboration agreement strengthens our drug discovery and translational research capabilities,” said Dr. Maarten Postema, director of the Discovery Chemistry group at Eisai Inc. “IPC is a world leading comprehensive cancer research center with a deep understanding of oncology and real expertise in relevant and novel drug targets. Their capabilities in drug design and drug development begin with a robust pre-clinical pharmacology program and proceed all the way to a dedicated Phase I Unit. Such early collaborations with Andover’s innovative chemistry and drug discovery approaches may aid in the design of new medicines that may enter clinical programs to maximize patients benefit.”

“I am delighted with this new R&D collaboration with Eisai Inc.,” said Pr. Patrice Viens, chief executive officer of IPC. “This is a ‘first’ for us through the creation of IPC Drug Discovery Group, and confirms our vision to further expand the capabilities of our Institute and enter into drug design and development through co-development agreements with pharmaceutical companies such as Eisai. They have strong roots in the industry and a long-term plan to strengthen and bolster their existing oncology pipeline and portfolio.”

Eisai Inc.
At Eisai Inc., human health care is our goal. We give our first thoughts to patients and their families, and helping to increase the benefits health care provides. As the U.S. pharmaceutical subsidiary of Tokyo-based Eisai Co., Ltd., we have a passionate commitment to patient care that is the driving force behind our efforts to help address unmet medical needs. We are a fully integrated pharmaceutical business with discovery, clinical, manufacturing and marketing capabilities. Our key areas of commercial focus include oncology and specialty care (Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy and metabolic disorders). To learn more about Eisai Inc., please visit us at www.eisai.com/US.

Eisai Inc. has affiliates that are part of a global product creation organization that includes R&D facilities in Massachusetts, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, as well as a global demand chain organization that includes facilities in Maryland and North Carolina. Eisai’s global areas of R&D focus include neuroscience; oncology; metabolic disorders; vascular, inflammatory and immunological reaction; and antibody-based programs.

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 realize our hhc philosophy by delivering innovative products in various therapeutic areas with high unmet medical needs, including oncology and neurology. For more information about Eisai Co., Ltd., please visit www.eisai.com.

About IPC (Paoli-Calmettes Institute)
The Paoli-Calmettes Institute, based in Marseille, is the leading comprehensive cancer center in the region in terms of activities, providing global care for cancer. It is a member of the national federation, UNICANCER. The Paoli-Calmettes Institute has been licensed by the HAS (the overall health authority in France) (V2010). It comprises 1,400 employees - researchers, medical doctors, health and administrative staff engaged in a wide range of activities on site: prevention, research, treatment and training. IPC registered over 83,000 consultations and over 7,700 new patients in 2014. For more information, please visit www.institutpaolicalmettes.fr.

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SOURCE Eisai Inc.