MADISON, N.J., April 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, a division of Wyeth , and the Health Ministry of Scotland announced today in Edinburgh the creation of the Translational Medicine Research Collaboration (TMRC). The TMRC will comprise the four major medical universities in Scotland (Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow), Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Scottish Enterprise and the National Health Service (NHS). Wyeth is investing almost $86 million toward this initiative.
Translational medicine is a new field that integrates the study of the elements of disease with the development of novel therapies and diagnostics. A goal of these studies is the identification of “biomarkers” or specific signals within patient populations that can be used to select the best therapy for an individual patient. An important outcome of the work of the TMRC is speedier, more efficient and more effective clinical testing of new therapies where a candidate drug is studied in smaller, better defined patient groups.
Wyeth is a recognized leader in developing drugs in a number of disease areas including oncology, musculoskeletal biology, metabolic diseases and Alzheimer’s disease. The Company spent more than $2.7 billion on Research and Development in 2005 and has assumed a leadership role in Translational Medicine, bridging the gap between basic pre-clinical drug discovery and the clinic.
The TMRC model will be based on a central core laboratory working with “Centers of Excellence” at each of the universities. The laboratory will be based at the University of Dundee. The laboratory will interact with the “Centers of Excellence” at each of the universities’ medical schools where specialized clinical research programs will be implemented.
“This translational medicine research collaboration represents a truly novel concept in industry-academic-government partnership. Translational medicine is a key success factor to development of the next generation of innovative medicines,” says Frank Walsh, Ph.D., Executive Vice President, head of Wyeth Discovery Research.
Jack Perry, Chief Executive of Scottish Enterprise, says, “Translational medicine provides a major opportunity to reduce the bottlenecks in the development of new drug treatments, resulting in significant benefits in economic development and health.”
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, a division of Wyeth, has leading products in the areas of women’s health care, cardiovascular disease, central nervous system, inflammation, transplantation, hemophilia, oncology, vaccines and nutritional products. Wyeth is one of the world’s largest research-driven pharmaceutical and health care products companies. It is a leader in the discovery, development, manufacturing and marketing of pharmaceuticals, vaccines, biotechnology products and non-prescription medicines that improve the quality of life for people worldwide. The Company’s major divisions include Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Wyeth Consumer Healthcare and Fort Dodge Animal Health.
The statements in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements based on current expectations of future events that involve risks and uncertainties including, without limitation, risks associated with the inherent uncertainty of the timing and success of pharmaceutical research, product development, manufacturing, commercialization, economic conditions including interest and currency exchange rate fluctuations, changes in generally accepted accounting principles, the impact of competitive or generic products, trade-buying patterns, wars or terrorist acts, product liability and other types of lawsuits, the impact of legislation and regulatory compliance and obtaining reimbursement, favorable drug pricing, access and other approvals, environmental liabilities, and patent, and other risks and uncertainties, including those detailed from time to time in the Company’s periodic reports, including current reports on Form 8-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and the annual report on Form 10-K, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results may vary materially from the forward-looking statements. The Company assumes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Wyeth
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