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SRI International Establishes SRI Taiwan R&D Center and Announces Taiwan Drug Development Initiative With Its Spin-Off Bridge Pharmaceuticals

Posted on: Monday, 7 November 2005, 09:01 CST

SRI International announced today it has formed the SRI Taiwan R&D Center in Hsinchu to conduct a diverse range of scientific and technical activities in Taiwan. The Center will serve as a regional source of expertise to mature innovations for commercialization.

In addition, SRI International and its spin-off company Bridge Pharmaceuticals announced three years of support from the Taiwan government to implement a drug development initiative for life sciences research and commercialization. The initiative will enable U.S. FDA-compliant preclinical capabilities in Taiwan for U.S., Canadian and European clients.

Specifically, the drug development initiative intends to (a) develop a pipeline of drug candidates for the Asian and global market by in-licensing new drug lead compounds to be further developed in Taiwan; (b) develop a process for U.S. FDA compliancy in Taiwan; (c) provide drug development consulting services to local universities and research institutes that will help transfer promising drug compounds into clinical development; and (d) assist a network of Taiwan's drug development service providers in gaining access to the global drug development outsourcing market.

"Taiwan offers strategic opportunities for innovation in many sectors, including pharmaceutical research and development," said Curt Carlson, Ph.D., CEO and president of SRI International. "SRI has worked in the region since the 1960s, when we consulted on economic development, and we have established new ties with leading research institutes. Now, with the formation of the SRI Taiwan R&D Center, SRI will establish additional relationships with local industry and research organizations to enter new markets and meet our clients' changing needs."

The SRI Taiwan R&D Center will support Bridge-Asia, which is the Taiwan subsidiary of Bridge Pharmaceuticals. Bridge-Asia intends to leverage SRI International's well-established expertise in drug development and experience in innovation and commercialization. Bridge-Asia may in-license lead drug candidates from SRI International, U.S. universities and companies, and venture capital-funded sources. Both preclinical and clinical development may be undertaken in Taiwan. Bridge-Asia also plans to establish its own drug development facilities and become a fully integrated biopharmaceutical company in Taiwan by retaining Asian marketing rights for in-licensed drug candidates that are developed successfully.

"We are excited to take the lead in this significant endeavor to help Taiwan to build its strength in drug development service capability. With its advanced infrastructure and highly skilled talent pool, Taiwan is well positioned to become a world-class center for pharmaceutical development. We think there are significant advantages in Taiwan and we are thrilled to receive this support," said Glenn Rice, Ph.D., CEO and president of Bridge Pharmaceuticals.

Other Bioscience Initiatives in Taiwan

The SRI Taiwan R&D Center and Bridge-Asia plan to jointly establish a Taiwan-based drug development consortium, called PharmaBridge, to provide consulting services that will help academia and companies move promising drug leads into the clinic.

Bridge-Asia is also launching BridgeNet, an exclusive network of partnerships with prescreened, highly qualified flagship chemical and manufacturing companies for small molecule and protein contract manufacturing services in Taiwan and Asia. BridgeNet will offer a single point of contact to U.S., EU and Canadian biotech and pharmaceutical companies that want to access the highly qualified and cost-effective drug development and manufacturing resources in the region. BridgeNet combines Bridge-Asia's U.S.-trained project management expertise with technical, regulatory and security audits to offer clients experienced, high-quality services.

About SRI International

Silicon Valley-based SRI International (www.sri.com) is one of the world's leading independent research and technology development organizations. Founded as Stanford Research Institute in 1946, SRI has been meeting the strategic needs of clients for almost 60 years. The nonprofit research institute performs client-sponsored research and development for government agencies, commercial businesses and private foundations. In addition to conducting contract R&D, SRI licenses its technologies, forms strategic partnerships and creates spin-off companies.

About Bridge Pharmaceuticals

Bridge Pharmaceuticals is a U.S.-headquartered, SRI International spin-off company focused on providing cost-effective, FDA-compliant drug development services in Asia for U.S., EU and Asian based clients. Bridge has also formed BridgeNet, an unprecedented network of pre-screened chemical and manufacturing service providers in China and Taiwan, which provides western clients with a single point of contact to access highly qualified and cost-effective drug development services in Asia. Bridge provides complete end-to-end drug development expertise including U.S. IND submissions. Bridge focuses its development work in Taiwan and China. For more information, visit www.BridgePharmaceuticals.com or call 650-859-3853.

Source: Business Wire

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