AstraZeneca outlines commitment to collaborative research

AstraZeneca has highlighted the important role that collaborative partnerships will play in its future drug development efforts.

During a recent JP Morgan healthcare conference in San Francisco, the company has called for prospective partners to make contact in order to explore potential team-ups in a range of clinical areas, reports InPharm.

Chief financial officer Simon Lowth said partnering is "a long-term commitment which is embedded in our organisation", while chief executive David Brennan said collaborations "will be a way of life going forward".

In recent years, AstraZeneca has worked with firms such as Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pozen to develop the drugs Onglyza and Vimovo.

Its key areas of focus include chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder and diabetes, while it is also seeking to explore opportunities in fields such as hearing disorders, critical care and hepatology.

This comes in the same month that AstraZeneca formed a new collaboration with IMS Health, which will focus on the use of real-world clinical data in healthcare delivery.