Codexis extends agreement with Merck & Co
Merck will continue to use Codexis enzymes in pharmaceutical manufacturing processes
Codexis has extended by three years its catalyst and process development collaboration with Merck to develop enzymes for use in pharmaceutical manufacturing.
As the collaboration enters its sixth year – it was initially signed in 2007 – Merck will continue to use Codexis’ proprietary enzyme products to develop more cost- and resource-efficient manufacturing processes for its pipeline of therapeutic candidates. The extension takes the agreement to 2015.
‘Our collaboration with Merck has led to a number of breakthroughs in pharmaceutical manufacturing that have been adopted by Merck in some of its leading pharmaceutical products. We look forward to continuing to develop additional cost-advantaged manufacturing processes with Merck,’ said Peter Strumph, interim chief executive of Codexis.
Merck has evaluated the use of Codexis enzymes across programmes in various stages of development and the companies have collaborated to develop enzymes for custom reactions, notably for sitagliptin, the active pharmaceutical ingredient in Merck’s diabetes drug Januvia.
