Japanese pharmaceutical companies Astellas Pharma, Daiichi Sankyo and Takeda Pharmaceutical have entered into a joint research agreement to acquire and evaluate fundamental biomarker data on healthy adult volunteers.
The deal is an attempt to maximise, as well as speed up the development of new medicines.
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Biomarkers can be objectively measured and assessed as ordinary biological processes (in vivo biological changes), pharmacological responses to a therapeutic intervention or pathological processes (processes by which illnesses start or progress).
They are used in patient stratification, investigation of a particular drug’s mechanism of action, as well as efficacy and safety indices.
Biomarkers can also be used in the exploration stage of drug candidacy, in daily diagnostics and clinical studies.
Under the deal, the three pharmaceutical companies will be able to obtain fundamental data from healthy adult volunteers.
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By GlobalDataThis data will be needed for clinical studies using protein and metabolite biomarkers.
Astellas, Daiichi Sankyo and Takeda will also have to undertake joint analysis thereon as part of the agreement.
To this end, samples will be acquired at a clinical research organisation associated with the Netherlands-based Leiden University under the supervision of a professor from the university Dr Thomas Hankemeier.
Data obtained from this analysis will be publicised in a bid to be widely used in different types of drug discovery research, with an aim to meet unmet needs of patients.
The joint research will enable the three companies to establish a base of comprehensive biomarker data, along with leading to more effective drug discovery obtained through a translational research approach.
Image: Takeda Pharmaceutical Company’s head office in Chuo-ku, Osaka, Japan. Photo: courtesy of J o.
