Under the agreement that extends for three years, Charles River will provide DMPK studies that support drug candidate selection or regulatory submission and services that aid in testing the safety of AstraZeneca drug candidates before and after they are advanced to clinical trials.
Charles River chairman, president and chief executive officer James Foster said the company’s capabilities will enable AstraZeneca to create a flexible research platform to deliver new health solutions.
"Our shared passion for scientific excellence is a strong foundation for this relationship, and we look forward to working with AstraZeneca’s scientists ‘on the same side of the table’ to achieve their drug development goals," Foster added.
As a part of the deal, which extends until 2015, AstraZeneca already started transferring programs to Charles River and anticipates completing the process by early 2013.
Charles River expects that the incremental sales under the contract might contribute 1% to the total net sales of the company in 2013.
AstraZeneca global safety assessment vice president Stefan Platz said, "Our organisations will work hand-in-hand to deliver toxicology, safety pharmacology and development DMPK studies in support of our efforts to deliver safe and effective new treatments to patients more efficiently."