<p>The companies hope that the partnership will result in novel therapeutic approaches for treating cancers by speeding up the discovery of innovative compounds with potential use in therapeutic indications with high unmet medical need.<br /><br />Under the terms of the collaboration, which utilizes Vernalis' proprietary drug discovery platform, Vernalis will receive an upfront payment and a share in the downstream success of the product. The terms of this have not been disclosed.<br /><br />Simon Sturge, CEO of Vernalis, commented: The collaboration with Servier is an important step for Vernalis and further validates our fragment-based drug discovery platform. This platform is currently being used to progress a number of our research programs.<br /><br />Laurent Perret, president of Servier research and development, added: We are confident that the collaboration with Vernalis will efficiently complement our research activities and help us in reaching our objectives.</p>