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Our Bureau

Mumbai , Jan. 12

Nicholas Piramal India Ltd (NPIL) said on Friday that it had entered into a drug development deal with US pharma major Eli Lilly.

The deal is mainly for conducting clinical trials globally and also to market in certain regions, a select group of Eli Lilly's pre-clinical drugs.

Dr Swati Piramal, Director of NPIL, said the company would receive up to $100 million, which includes a call back payment and milestone payments. In addition to this, there would be royalty payment on sales of the drugs, she said at a press conference.

Global alliance

NPIL would be responsible for the design and execution of the global clinical development programme, including (Investigational New Drug) IND-enabling non-clinical studies and human clinical trials up to Phase III, she said.

Dr Piramal said that the agreement, which would serve as a prototype for joint development of several pre-clinical drug candidates from Eli Lilly in multiple therapeutic areas. It would be a new paradigm for global alliances in drug discovery and development.

The deal is not a contract-based activity but a synergy between the two companies aiming to speed up drug development, she said.

Unique strengths

Dr Somesh Sharma, Chief Scientific Officer of NPIL, said that drug development would be for treating metabolic disorders and the drugs would be available by 2010.

The NPIL-Lilly alliance seeks to increase productivity in drug development by synergising the unique strengths of both companies and equitably sharing risk and reward.

Mr Robert W. Armstrong, Vice-President of Global External Research and Development for Eli Lilly, said that NPIL has the strategic interest and capabilities to advance Lilly's molecules through early clinical development and Lilly is excited to explore this innovative drug development model with NPIL, he said.

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Nicholas Piramal to do clinical trials for Eli Lilly drugs

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