20 May 2011 08:53

Simcere Pharma to develop stroke drug with Nanjing Medical University

Shanghai. May 20. INTERFAX-CHINA - Nanjing City-based Simcere Pharmaceutical Group (Simcere Pharma) and Nanjing Medical University have entered an agreement to jointly develop a drug to treat stroke patients, Simcere Pharma announced May 18.

The drug will be derived from an inhibitor for a new drug target molecule, which was discovered by a research team at the university led by Professor Zhu Yadong. The research has been published in U.K-based biomedical journal Nature Medicine, the announcement said.

New York Stock Exchange-listed Simcere Pharma invests six to eight percent of its annual sales revenue in drug research and development (RD), and has a 300-strong research team.

The firm signed an agreement with global pharma giant Bristol-Myers Squibb in November last year to jointly develop a BMS preclinical oncology drug in China, Interfax previously reported.

- MS