Ipsen and bioMerieux to collaborate on personalised medicine

Ipsen has entered into a partnership with bioMerieux that will aim to develop new personalised medicine innovations for the field of oncology.

The theranostics-centred collaboration will utilise Ipsen drug compounds in tandem with bioMerieux's diagnostic tests in order to establish new treatment methods for prostate and breast cancer, neuroendocrine tumours and pituitary tumours.

It is thought that the development of companion diagnostic tests in combination with innovative compounds will help to deliver clinical proof of concept at an earlier stage, thus supporting Ipsen's drug registration efforts.

This represents the latest phase of a long-running partnership between the two firms, which have been developing a companion assay for the steroid sulfatase enzyme inhibitor compound BN83495 since 2007.

Dr Claude Bertrand, executive vice-president and chief scientific officer of Ipsen, said: "The shared vision and the cross-company synergies represent a unique opportunity to leverage early stage co-development of innovative products and biomarkers for patient care."

Earlier this month, Ipsen published its financial report for 2010, during which the company's annual sales rose by five percent compared to the year before.