Debiopharm Group and TCG Lifesciences Ltd. Announce Successful Completion of First Phase of Research Collaboration on Discovery of Novel Antibiotics

LAUSANNE, Switzerland and KOLKATA, India, June 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

Debiopharm Group™ (Debiopharm), the Swiss-based global biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the development of prescription drugs that target unmet medical needs, including anti-bacterial, oncology as well as companion diagnostics, and TCG Lifesciences Limited (TCGLS) a leading contract research services company in the area of early drug discovery and development, today announced that they have reached the first research milestone and consequently enter into lead optimization phase for innovative antibiotics targeting drug-resistant bacteria for community and hospital-acquired infections.

This first step towards identification of new classes of targeted anti-infectious drugs was achieved only 9 months after signature of a discovery collaboration will trigger the payment of research milestones by Debiopharm according to a pre-defined research plan.

Dr Saumitra Sengupta, Distinguished Scientist at TCG Lifesciences commented: "The strong collaborative spirit from both sides has resulted in reaching this important milestone. We are excited about partnering with Debiopharm in their search for new antibiotics and wish to continue in the same spirit of value addition in order to bring this project to a meaningful result."

"This fruitful collaboration with TCG Lifesciences has now delivered early leads ready to enter into the process of lead optimization", said Andrés McAllister, Chief Scientific Officer, Debiopharm International SA, who added: "It is an important milestone for Debiopharm, supporting our strong commitment to develop novel antibiotics to overcome resistance to current treatments. It is part of our global strategy initiated with the development of our FabI inhibitors, Debio 1450, currently in clinical Phase I and Debio 1452 which has already demonstrated high efficacy in the treatment of acute bacterial skin and skin-structure infections in a phase II trial."

About TCG Lifesciences Ltd. 

TCGLS is a leading contract research services company in the area of early drug discovery and development. They started their operations in the year 2001 in India. Currently TCGLS is present in the United States, Europe, Japan and Australia. The company has a strong talent pool of 800+ trained scientists, drawn from the best national and international institutes as well as the industry. Their services span from specific solutions to integrated discovery projects across multiple therapeutic areas with focus on Central Nervous System (CNS), Inflammation and Pain, Metabolic Disorders and Infectious Diseases.

For more information about TCG, please visit: http://www.tcgls.com

About Debiopharm Group^™ 

Debiopharm Group^™ is a Swiss-based global biopharmaceutical group of four companies active in drug development, GMP manufacturing of proprietary d rugs, diagnostics, and investments. Debiopharm International SA is focused on the development of prescription drugs that target unmet medical needs. The company in-licenses, develops and/or co-develops promising biological and small molecule drug candidates for global registration. The products are commercialized throughout-licensing to pharmaceutical partners to give access to the largest number of patients worldwide.
For more information about Debiopharm Group^™, please visit: http://www.debiopharm.com.

Debiopharm International SA Contact
Christelle Tur
Communication Coordinator
[email protected]
Tel: +41(0)21-321-01-11

TCG Lifesciences Ltd Contact
Rakesh C. Pandya
Head - Finance
[email protected]
Tel: +91-33-4000-3000

Additional Media Contacts
In London
Maitland
Brian Hudspith
[email protected]
Tel: +44(0)20-7379-5151

In New York
Russo Partners, LLC
Martina Schwarzkopf, Ph.D.
Account Executive
[email protected]
Tel: +1-212-845-4292    

SOURCE Debiopharm Group

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