Mumbai, Feb. 22: The Ahmedabad-based Torrent Pharmaceuticals Ltd has signed a research collaboration agreement with AstraZeneca, aimed at discovering a novel drug candidate for the treatment of hypertension.
AstraZeneca is a leading global pharmaceutical company.
Under the agreement, Torrent Pharma and AstraZeneca will fund the research project jointly in equal proportion.
The agreement envisages success-based research and development milestone payments to Torrent and also royalties based on the commercialisation of the drug candidate, a company release said.
Torrent Pharma would also get co-marketing rights of the product for the local market. However, the company did not divulge the financial terms of the agreement.
Torrent Pharma pointed out that hypertension has immense global and local prevalence. According to a World Health Organisation report of 1999, one out of every three deaths in India is due to heart diseases. Among several risk factors associated with this growing menace, hypertension has been established as a key risk factor for heart disease, stroke and renal failure.
According to projections, by 2020, India will have the largest cardiovascular disease burden in the world.
Regarding the collaboration, Torrent Pharma managing director Samir Mehta said, ?Over time, we have developed a sound research and development foundation that helps us enter into collaborations with foreign partners with confidence. It is encouraging to know that foreign multinationals are finding us attractive to engage in collaborative research. We are sure that the returns would be substantial and mutually beneficial.?
Bj?rn Wallmark, global vice-president (research area cardiovascular and gastrointestinal) of AstraZeneca said the collaboration would complement its existing portfolio of products in hypertension.
Last year, Torrent Pharma had entered into a licence agreement with the Switzerland-based Novartis Pharma AG for global rights to its patented advanced glycosylation endproducts (AGE) breaker compound.
AGE breaker compounds are helpful in treating heart disease and diabetes-related vascular complications.
In October 2002, Torrent Pharma had entered into an option agreement with Novartis for global rights to its very early stage AGE breaker compound. Torrent Pharma had received an initial sum of $0.5 million as option fees.
The licence agreement entitled Torrent Pharma to receive an upfront payment of $3 million and provided exclusive global rights to Novartis for further development and commercialisation of the compound.
