Covers such key areas as prostate cancer, schizophrenia, diabetes and Alzheimer’s
Drugs giant AstraZeneca is to share 22 of its early-stage research compounds with the Medical Research Council as part of a shake-up of life sciences.
It is intended to speed up patients’ access to breakthrough drugs and arrest the decline of research and development in the UK.
The compounds which AstraZeneca has agreed to share – half of which have already been tested on humans – cover such key areas as prostate cancer, schizophrenia, diabetes and Alzheimer’s.
AstraZeneca retains the ultimate rights to the compounds, even though it had shelved development prior to this agreement. It is the first company with which the MRC has reached agreement, although it is hoped others will follow in sharing early-stage molecules.
Chris Watkins, head of translation research at the MRC, said that he had been in talks with six to ten pharmaceutical companies over the last two years.
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