Eisai blueprints new R&D center in India

Eisai is blueprinting its first drug R&D center outside of Japan, with plans to invest $50 million in a new venture in India which will recruit 100 people to develop new therapeutics for the global market. The research staff--which will focus on formulation development---will include about 20 scientists, according to a report in India's Financial Express. "The formulation development R&D wing is expected to go commercial next year," Eisai Knowledge Centre president Sanjit Singh Lamba...

Amgen eyes deals in global expansion

Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN) has about $20 billion on hand to finance new deals. But while the U.S. and Europe are the biggest markets, CEO Kevin Sharer says his company will be looking for deals in emerging markets due to the greater potential for growth there. "We seek good companies at a fair price. We are looking for quality. If we find the right company, we could be quite aggressive. Now is a good time. We would not hesitate if we thought we had the right opportunity," the CEO tells the Financial...

Biotech collaborations in developing countries focus on cheaper drugs

A new study in Nature Biotechnology explores the rapidly proliferating links among developers in the Southern Hemisphere as they push for new therapies, vaccines and diagnostic tests that will specifically help the world's poorest people in developing nations. Researchers from five developing nations joined with Canada's McLaughlin-Rotman Centre for Global Health to track the growth of south-south biotech collaborations in Africa, Asia and Latin America. By specifically focusing on therapeutics...