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HUYA Bioscience Announces Agreement to Provide Schering-Plough With Drug Development Candidates From China

Posted on: Monday, 15 December 2008, 07:00 CST

Collaboration will leverage HUYA's growing Chinese bioscience network

SAN DIEGO, Dec. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- HUYA Bioscience International, a leader in US/China pharmaceutical co-development, today announced an agreement with Schering-Plough Corporation's subsidiary, N.V. Organon. Schering-Plough has selected HUYA to identify and present to Schering-Plough on an exclusive basis proprietary lead, preclinical and clinical drug candidates in specific therapeutic areas that originate in China.

"HUYA is quickly gaining a reputation as a key point of contact for members of the Chinese bioscience community looking to establish relationships with Western development partners," said Mirielle Gingras, PhD, President and CEO of HUYA. "Our agreement with Schering-Plough demonstrates both the effectiveness of our network in China, and our ability to leverage that network to benefit major development partners in the West. We are delighted to be forging this new alliance, and look forward to a fruitful collaboration."

Schering-Plough will gain access to HUYA's growing Chinese bioscience network comprising premier universities, government research institutions and bioparks throughout the country. HUYA already has agreements in place with several of these organizations whereby HUYA has ongoing exclusive access to compounds and biologics in a variety of indications. The company is currently evaluating and following the progress of more than 500 drug development candidates.

HUYA's model is based on longevity of relationships with its Chinese partners to provide a continuous source of compounds rather than a one-time single compound strategy. The ongoing exchange of expertise and data is intended to lower risk and facilitate rapid and efficient clinical development in both China and the West.

HUYA currently has two Chinese drugs undergoing preclinical development in the US - HBI-3000 and HBI-8000. Both drugs, for cardiac fibrillation and oncology, respectively, have successfully passed US FDA pre-IND consultations.

HUYA's Innovative Co-Development Model

HUYA was one of the first companies to recognize China's potential to help meet the global need for pre-clinical and clinical stage compounds for the drug development process. Leveraging the HUYA Integrated Co-development Model for partnering with Chinese research institutions and pharmaceutical companies, HUYA identifies and licenses highly promising pre-clinical and clinical stage compounds in China. HUYA's Chinese partners retain development and marketing rights in China with the expectation that both parties will benefit from the research and development collaboration.

One of the key differentiators of HUYA's approach HUYA is the assembly of a high-level team of scientific and clinical advisors for each new compound. The team collaborates with its' Chinese partners to discuss and design clinical trials as the compounds enter the U.S. development process, speeding the process and mitigating risk. HUYA's global team of advisors includes Benedict Lucchesi, MD, PhD, Peter R. Kowey, MD, Dennis Roy, MD, Jefferson L. Anderson, MD, Eric J. Topol, MD, Stanley Nattel, MD, Anthony Tolcher, MD, Alex Adjei, MD, PhD, Patricia LoRusso, DO and Michael Robertson, MD.

"From my involvement with the cardiac fibrillation program, I have been impressed with the relationship that HUYA has forged with its Chinese partners," said Eric Topol, MD, Chief Academic Officer, Scripps Health, San Diego, CA. "HUYA's co-development model is an excellent system for developing new drugs and ultimately introducing them into the Western market."

About HUYA

HUYA is a leader in U.S./China pharmaceutical co-development with three strategic offices in China, a broad Chinese compound portfolio, and a significant number of exclusive agreements with premier Chinese biotech centers. HUYA has joint headquarter offices in San Diego, CA, and Shanghai. Additional information about the company is available at www.huyabio.com.

Contact: USA: Jan Tuttleman, PhD Vice President, Marketing HUYA Bioscience International, LLC (858) 798-8800 jtuttleman@huyabio.com China: Ben Ni, PhD Head of Therapeutics HUYA Bioscience International, LLC 86 (21) 51323312 bni@huyabio.com Media Contacts: Amy Berry (415) 793-2258 amyeberry@comcast.net Juliet Travis (510) 452-3771 juliet@travispr.com

SOURCE HUYA Bioscience International

Source: PR Newswire

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