INDIA BUSINESS WORLD - JANUARY 16^th - JANUARY 31^st - 2008

BIOCON TO PARTNER US FIRM FOR DEVELOPING CANCER DRUG

Indian biotech major Biocon has said that it will enter into a partnership with a US-based biotechnology company, Iatrica, to develop drug for the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. Biocon informed the BSE that it would invest in the US-based firm to co-develop a new class of immunoconjugates for targeted immunotherapy of cancers and infectious diseases based upon Iatrica's technology platform and the company's expertise in drug development. The partnership would push clinical development of innovative biohybrid molecules for targeted immunotherapy and thereby reinforce our shared endeavour to provide effective new treatments for major neoplastic and infectious diseases.