- Organon's Biotechnology Day Attracts Over 100 Boston-area Biotechnology and
Licensing Executives -
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and OSS, Netherlands, June 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Organon,
the human healthcare business of Akzo Nobel (Nasdaq: AKZOY), announced that
the Company is launching a global biotechnology discovery research initiative
with a Boston seminar and open house to discuss R&D strategy and collaborative
opportunities.
"Organon is expanding upon its current biotechnology programs with a
global discovery research initiative aimed at diversifying our therapeutic
areas of focus and bringing the next generation of biopharmaceutical products
to market," stated David Nicholson, Executive Vice President Global Research
at Organon. "Organon fosters innovation and entrepreneurship with its unique
approach to discovery research by giving our scientists the ability to explore
interesting targets and compounds without being restricted to a specific
therapeutic area of focus. When successful, our global pharmaceutical
operations will provide the infrastructure and know-how needed to rapidly find
an appropriate partner or move promising new programs towards the market."
Organon's strategy in biotechnology is to develop and market biological
entities that represent new therapeutic approaches within areas of interest
including immunology, oncology and osteoporosis. Organon will leverage its
proprietary monoclonal antibody technology and is committed to partnering with
academia for early research, and with biotechnology and pharmaceutical
companies for product development programs and for access to the best
discovery technologies. The new Cambridge research center, which officially
opened on June 29th, will be the hub of its interface with innovative
institutes and companies in the USA.
Organon's Biotechnology Day, that has attracted over 100 local
biotechnology and licensing executives, will include discussions of Organon's
research and partnering strategy by members of Organon's senior management
including Toon Wilderbeek, President of Organon International; David
Nicholson, and Wiebe Olijve Ph.D., Vice President Research at Organon.
Additional talks will focus on doing business with Organon from Mark Gessler,
CEO and President of Gene Logic Inc.; Aaron Hsueh, Ph.D., Professor at
Stanford University; and Arthur Sands, M.D., Ph.D., CEO and President of
Lexicon Genetics.
Organon and Biotechnology
Organon and its sister businesses in Diosynth Biotechnology and Intervet
have a strong heritage in biotechnology. Organon's capabilities cover all
aspects of drug discovery and development, from early research through
clinical development and large scale manufacturing. The companies are actively
involved in developing recombinant fertility treatments (Organon), recombinant
vaccines (Intervet) and recombinant protein API's (Diosynth Biotechnology).
Organon's lead product today is the biologic Follistim(R) (USA), Puregon(R)
(Europe) and biotech now represents over 20% of revenues. Organon is also one
of the largest global contract manufacturers of Active Biopharmaceutical
Ingredients through Diosynth Biotechnology.
Research at Organon
Organon has a strong commitment to research and development with
approximately 19% of revenues budgeted annually to R&D. The Company maintains
discovery research facilities in Oss, The Netherlands; Newhouse, Scotland; and
Cambridge, Mass., USA. Research programs encompass both biotherapeutic and
small molecule discovery with over 20% of budgets committed to external
collaborations. Current discovery collaborations involve over 50 biotech and
academic groups worldwide. The new Organon Research Center in Cambridge will
discover novel biologicals and will be the hub of interface with innovative
institutes and biotechnology companies in the USA.
About Organon
Organon -- with shared head offices in Roseland, NJ, USA and Oss, The
Netherlands -- creates, manufactures and markets prescription medicines that
improve the health and quality of human life. Through a combination of
independent growth and business partnerships, Organon strives to remain or
become one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in each of its core
therapeutic fields: reproductive medicine, psychiatry and anesthesia. Organon
also actively pursues the discovery of both chemical and novel biological
entities. In so doing, Organon seeks to exploit and further develop its basic
discovery and production expertise in biotechnology. Organon products are
sold in over 100 countries, of which more than 60 have an Organon subsidiary.
Organon is the human health care business unit of Akzo Nobel. Additional
information about Organon is available through its corporate website,
http://www.organon.com.
For more information
Contact for Organon:
Monique Mols Kari Lampka
Associate Director, Media Relations MacDougall Biomedical Communications
+31-(0)412-665440 +1-508-647-0209
klampka@macbiocom.com
SOURCE Organon
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Related links:
http://www.organon.com
CONTACT:
Monique Mols, Associate Director, Media
Relations of Organon, +31-412-665440, monique.mols@organon.com;
or Kari Lampka of MacDougall Biomedical Communications for
Organon, +1-508-647-0209, klampka@macbiocom.com
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