Compound collaborations
Why Sanofi and AstraZeneca are sharing compounds with each other
Chemical compound libraries have historically been guarded as valuable sources of drug candidates at most pharmas because they contain the core components of patentable material. Now, as organizations start to experiment with ways of sharing their would-be assets in the hope of promoting better drug development across the industry, Sanofi (Euronext:SAN; NYSE:SNY) and AstraZeneca plc (LSE:AZN; NYSE:AZN) have created a new partnership model with a deal to directly exchange 210,000 compounds each, putting no restrictions on the targets or indications that can be screened.
By exposing the structures to each other, the partners are shifting the value creation downstream of screening hits that, until now, have been seen as the first step to IP claims based on composition of matter. ...