Sanofi-aventis, Charite Ink R&D Agreement

The public-private partnership aims at taking advantage of the joint know-how in research and development of Sanofi-aventis and Charite to develop approaches faster and make them accessible to patients.

Reportedly, both the partners are expected to combine their respective scientific expertise starting from pre-clinical research phase, much earlier than it is the case with the usual types of cooperation. Model systems, for example, will be developed and tested together, and new methods for personalised medicine will be pursued.

Both the entities will initiate their first project in the fields of stroke research and inflammatory auto-immune diseases, including rheumathoid arthritis. Other plans include setting up a support program for projects of young researchers.

Christopher Viehbacher, CEO of Sanofi-aventis, said: “We are very pleased to collaborate with the Charité, one of Europe’s top-class clinical centers, and to share with this renowned institute our ambition to place patients’ health at the heart of our efforts. This new collaboration is consistent with our objective to increase innovation in research and development through greater openness.

Karl Einhaupl, chairman of the executive board of Charite, said: “By working together, we are able to break new grounds in the cooperation between scientific institutes and the pharmaceutical industry. This new approach of mutual exchange is very important for both sides, as it is easier to overcome structural and financial challenges as a team.

“Our partnership will accelerate the joint drug development based on strong university medical research. The Charite focuses particularly on the continuous evaluation of all cooperation projects set in a framework agreement to safeguard ethical standards, intellectual property, research freedom and good scientific practice. By doing so, societal and scientific challenges of this partnership can be satisfied adequately.”