QIAGEN Signs Ninth Master Collaboration Agreement for Companion Diagnostics
2014-11-11 21:00:18.133 GMT
QIAGEN Signs Ninth Master Collaboration Agreement for Companion Diagnostics
PR Newswire
HILDEN, Germany, and MANCHESTER, England, November 11, 2014
HILDEN, Germany, and MANCHESTER, England, November 11, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --
o Master collaboration agreement is a framework for developing and
commercializing QIAGEN companion diagnostics, paired with new or existing
products
o New agreement provides options across therapeutic areas
o Collaboration adds to QIAGEN's more than 20 projects with pharma companies
for development of blood- or tissue-based biomarker tests to guide
treatments
QIAGEN N.V. (NASDAQ: QGEN; Frankfurt Prime Standard: QIA) today announced it
has entered into a master collaboration agreement with the Swiss
pharmaceutical company Novartis AG to enable the development and
commercialization of companion diagnostics to be paired with existing Novartis
pharmaceutical products as well as compounds in its development pipeline.
The non-exclusive agreement with Novartis creates a framework for
collaborations that would include developing QIAGEN companion diagnostics to
guide treatment decisions for Novartis pharmaceutical products. The scope of
the collaboration can cover all QIAGEN platforms, indications or biomarkers.
Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
The collaboration with Novartis is the ninth master framework agreement
reached by QIAGEN for the development of companion diagnostics, underscoring
its position as the preferred partner to pharma companies.
"We are very pleased to be working with Novartis in the development and
commercialization of companion diagnostics to support their innovative
pharmaceutical products. Healthcare providers are increasingly benefitting
from personalized treatment strategies based on genomic insights, to select
the right drug for the right patient at the right time and in the right dose,"
said Peer M. Schatz, Chief Executive Officer of QIAGEN N.V. "This broad
agreement gives Novartis and QIAGEN the flexibility to pursue co-development
projects. We are committed working with our partners like Novartis to make
improvements in life possible."
QIAGEN is pursuing more than 20 collaborative projects with Pharma and biotech
companies to develop, validate and market companion diagnostics designed to
guide the treatment of cancers and other diseases. Around the world, QIAGEN
already markets companion diagnostics based on molecular biomarkers, and the
company has a growing portfolio of novel targets in development.
The companion diagnostic programs span a range of platforms for molecular
testing. A number of the diagnostics are real-time PCR assays for analysis on
QIAGEN's Rotor-Gene Q, a component of the QIAsymphony family of automated
instruments. For example, QIAGEN received FDA approvals in 2012 and 2014 for
its therascreen^® KRAS RGQ PCR Kit in colorectal cancer and in 2013 for the
therascreen^® EGFR test in NSCLC - both running on Rotor-Gene Q. In addition,
QIAGEN is a leader in developing universal solutions for NGS platforms which
include a broad number of gene panels that cover an extensive range of
cancer-related genes and gene regions. A recent addition to the portfolio of
QIAGEN platforms for companion diagnostics is the multi-modal, multi-analyte
Modaplex system, which enables laboratories to analyze multiple sample types
simultaneously for dozens of DNA and RNA biomarkers.
QIAGEN also is pioneering companion diagnostics based on blood or other fluid
samples for medical situations that make surgical biopsies difficult. QIAGEN
has collaborations to develop first-in-class, non-invasive tests for genetic
biomarkers using liquid biopsies, which use blood or other fluid samples
rather than tissue samples. QIAGEN's liquid biopsy technologies include
industry-leading kits for processing free-circulating DNA and RNA, genomic
material from single cells, or exosomes circulating in the body.
About QIAGEN
QIAGEN N.V., a Netherlands-based holding company, is the leading global
provider of Sample & Assay Technologies that are used to transform biological
materials into valuable molecular information. Sample technologies are used to
isolate and process DNA, RNA and proteins from biological samples such as
blood or tissue. Assay technologies are then used to make these isolated
biomolecules visible and ready for interpretation. QIAGEN markets more than
500 products around the world, selling both consumable kits and automation
systems to customers through four customer classes: Molecular Diagnostics
(human healthcare), Applied Testing (forensics, veterinary testing and food
safety), Pharma (pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies) and Academia
(life sciences research). As of September 30, 2014, QIAGEN employed
approximately 4,200 people in over 35 locations worldwide. Further information
can be found at http://www.qiagen.com.
Certain of the statements contained in this news release may be considered
forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the U.S.
Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. To the extent that any of the statements
contained herein relating to QIAGEN's products, markets, strategy or operating
results, including without limitation its expected operating results, are
forward-looking, such statements are based on current expectations and
assumptions that involve a number of uncertainties and risks. Such
uncertainties and risks include, but are not limited to, risks associated with
management of growth and international operations (including the effects of
currency fluctuations, regulatory processes and dependence on logistics),
variability of operating results and allocations between customer classes, the
commercial development of markets for our products in applied testing,
personalized healthcare, clinical research, proteomics, women's
health/HPV testing and nucleic acid-based molecular diagnostics; changing
relationships with customers, suppliers and strategic partners; competition;
rapid or unexpected changes in technologies; fluctuations in demand
for QIAGEN's products (including fluctuations due to general economic
conditions, the level and timing of customers' funding, budgets and other
factors); our ability to obtain regulatory approval of our products;
difficulties in successfully adapting QIAGEN's products to integrated
solutions and producing such products; the ability of QIAGEN to identify and
develop new products and to differentiate and protect our products from
competitors' products; market acceptance of QIAGEN's new products, the
consummation of acquisitions, and the integration of acquired technologies and
businesses. For further information, please refer to the discussions in
reports that QIAGEN has filed with, or furnished to, the U.S. Securities and
Exchange Commission (SEC).
Contacts:
Public Relations:
Dr. Thomas Theuringer
Director Public Relations
+49-2103-29-11826
+1-240-686-7425
Email: pr@qiagen.com
http://www.twitter.com/qiagenInvestor Relations:
John Gilardi
Vice President Corporate Communications and Investor Relations
+49-2103-29-11711
+1-240-686-2222
Email: ir@qiagen.com
SOURCE QIAGEN
-0- Nov/11/2014 21:00 GMT