Committed to finding diagnostic solutions to disease by partnering

Amersham Health is a leading provider of diagnostic and predictive imaging products and services, along with related therapeutic products. Amersham Health is part of the UK-based company Amersham plc, which had a turnover of €1.4 billion in 2002 and has around 10,000 employees worldwide.

Jerry Liebrand, Vice President of Business Development at Amersham Health explained that, until recently, in vivo imaging was the preserve of specialist companies. “Now large pharma see in vivo imaging as part of their strategy, as a result of clinical practice change, which links diagnosis more strongly with treatment,” he added. “This means our business development strategy must be much broader”. Consequently, Amersham Health pursues a much wider partnering strategy with companies ranging from small diagnostics companies to large pharmaceutical companies. The company prides itself on its licensing strategy, and sensitivity to partners’ needs.

Examples of different types of recent deals include the agreements with Galil Medical and GE Medical Systems.

Amersham Health has created a joint venture with Galil Medical by merging Amersham Health’s brachytherapy business with the urology business of Galil Medical to create Oncura. Oncura will specialize in the treatment of prostate cancer with brachytherapy and cryotherapy. Amersham holds 75% of the new company, and Galil Medical 25%. This joint venture broadens Amersham Health’s platform in cancer therapy.

GE Medical Systems and Amersham Health have set up a broad research collaboration to develop, manufacture and deliver new positron emission tomography (PET)-based molecular diagnostic imaging technologies and systems. The project will begin with the development of a PET synthesis system that will produce a new generation of targeted molecular radiopharmaceuticals. This agreement reflects the shifting partnering trends in the healthcare industry by pairing a diagnostic company with a medical device company to deliver new diagnostic and therapeutic solutions.

Amersham Health also works with universities and smaller pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies – for example, it has an agreement on intellectual property in cancer with Antisoma.

Jerry Liebrand explained why Amersham Health’s strategy is so successful. “Amersham Health is prepared to cut new types of deals for early stage technologies.”

“Diagnostic imaging is changing,” Mr Liebrand continued. “It is becoming an integral part of therapeutics, as a result of the growth of tests to predict disease, and the growth of personalized medicine. This latter area, in which diagnostic tools are used to define treatment for more expensive drugs in targeted populations, is a major focus for Amersham Health.

Amersham Health is disease-focused, with specialties in cardiology, oncology and neurology. It approaches development from a therapeutic rather than modality basis. The company is committed to finding diagnostic solutions to disease states. These diagnostic solutions will often be found through partnering as the importance of imaging in therapy is fully embraced by the broader research community.

Full details at http://pharmalicensing.com/company/dc/240

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