AVENTIS EXPLORES INDIA AS R&D HUB, TO INVEST $3M

Aventis pasteur, the vaccines business of Aventis, part of the Sanofi-Aventis Group, is exploring India as its next R&D powerhouse. The company has already initiated talks with Indian biotech companies for research partnership and has plans to set up its next global R&D centre in India for basic molecular research.

Aventis Pasteur has identified a broad spectrum of therapeutic areas where it wants to add value to R&D process in India. "We are looking at areas like HIV, TB, malaria, new strains of Hepatitis like C&E, diarrhoea and typhoid.

We expect to sign the R&D partnership with an Indian company over the next one year," Jeffrey W Almond, senior vice-president, global research and external R&D, Aventis Pasteur, said

Almond, based at Aventis Pasteur's research headquarters in Marcy I'Etoile, France, was in the city to attend the national paediatrics conference.

The company has short-listed a few Indian biotech companies like Biocon and Panacea Bioech for research partnership. A team from Aventis Pasteur led by Almond will be visiting India again within the next two or three months to finalise the deal. "We may either look at adding value to the innovations of the Indian partner or work jointly in certain common areas of expertise," Almond added.

After establishing strong collaborations with European and US research organisations and pharma companies, Aventis Pas has now identified Asia as its next destination for R&D growth. The company had recently completed a study of pharma R&D in Asian countries like India, China, Korea and Taiwan in association with Frost & Sullivan to decide on the next research hub.

"India has emerged as the choice due to its disease pattern, the enactment of the product patent regime and tremendous growth in the pharma sector. We will soon finalise the decision to set up our fourth basic R&D centre in India," said Almond.

Aventis Pasteur currently undertakes clinical R&D processes in India and will invest about $2-3 million in 2005. It has already started trials for its rabies vaccine in the country and has lined-up trials for two more paediatric combinations vaccines in 2005. "We are nearly doubling our clinical trials investment in India," Almond added.

Aventis Pasteur globally invests about 17% of its turnover for R&D activities. It is working on several hitech vaccines like that for HIV, Avian Influenza and Sars. "The Avian influenza vaccine developed with US-based National Institute of Health (NIH) will hit clinical trials in Scandinavia and US by early 2006.
We have recently selected the candidate for Sars vaccine in collaboration with NIH and the AIDS vaccine is currently undergoing Phase III trials in Thailand," Almond said.