MDS Pharma Services strengthens drug discovery capability in Asia

MDS Pharma Services, the US-based contract research business, is to renovate and expand its discovery pharmacology business in Taiwan.

The project, which will be completed in 2010, is aligned with the company's strategic focus on early stage operations from discovery to Phase IIa proof-of-concept services, following its parent company's decision to sell its Phase II-IV operations to INC Research in Raleigh, NC.

The Taiwan facility offers both molecular screening and profiling, as well as in vivo safety and efficacy testing, and the renovation plan includes significant expansions and upgrades in each area.

The in vivo capacity will be doubled and include dedicated space tailored to individual client needs. The site's automated molecular screening and profiling capability and efficiency will be improved with additional robotic high-throughput screening capacity and analytical support.

"This new and expanded facility will cement our position as the global leader in the discovery pharmacology space, where we are one of the top two providers of molecular screening, and a key supplier of in vivo efficacy and safety testing," said MDS Pharma Services" president David Spaight.

"This investment builds on a 40-year track record of success in this service area, and supports our recently announced strategic focus."

The Taiwan site is part of MDS Pharma Services' Pharmacology/DMPK line of service, which offers molecular, cellular, ADME/DMPK and in vivo assays for use in identifying lead drug candidates, profiling for selectivity, determining potential for adverse events, evaluating efficacy and establishing proof of concept.

The company's Canadian parent, MDS, is also selling MDS Pharma Services' Central Labs business, which conducts analysis of samples from clinical trials to monitor safety and to test for physiological impact. This operation has more than 600 employees at six sites in Europe, North America and Asia.