Rosa and FOCUS-IP Announce Strategic Alliance for Enhancing Proof-of-Concept Drug Development and Licensing Opportunities
Alliance combines innovative exploratory study design, leading in silico drug development capabilities, and a global licensing network to increase the value of emerging company portfolios and address pipeline gaps for established drug manufacturers.

SAN CARLOS, CA, May 05, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Rosa & Co. LLC (www.rosaandco.com) today announced that it has formed a strategic scientific alliance with FOCUS-IP (www.focus-ip.de), a leading EU-based drug development advisory firm. FOCUS-IP sources novel new drug candidates from European academic research centers and emerging biotechnology companies, leads the exploratory development of these compounds from preclinical through proof-of-concept studies, and forms early-stage strategic development partnerships with established global pharmaceutical organizations. The Rosa-FOCUS-IP alliance will strengthen FOCUS-IP's innovative exploratory development programs and candidate licensing evaluations with the systematic use of Rosa's best-in-class in silico drug-disease modeling & simulation (M&S) capabilities.

"The strategic alliance between Rosa and Focus-IP will allow us to bring best-in-class technology to the management of our clients' exploratory development programs" said Wolfgang Greb, MD, Ph.D., Managing Director and Co-Founder of Focus-IP. "In silico modeling & simulation is a proven scientific method that can leverage early in vitro and in vivo data towards predictions of human exposure, safety, and efficacy. It broadens our understanding of novel mechanisms and highlights implications for dosing and patient selection in exploratory clinical trials, and supports claims of a drug's value in communications with regulators or partners. Together, we can deliver greater scientific insight and more predictive and reliable proof-of-concept data for our clients."

The new partnership will provide clients of both companies access to a synergistic combination of value-driven exploratory study design, a global licensing and deal-flow network, and extensive in silico M&S expertise. The allied companies also bring extensive clinical expertise in a wide variety of disease areas, including oncology, immune dysfunctions, respiratory disorders, inflammation, metabolic disorders, antiinfectives/antivirals, and CNS disorders that comprise both neurological and neurodegenerative diseases.

Emerging companies benefit from this alliance by designing more informative exploratory studies and by gaining a deeper understanding of their novel drug candidates, especially with respect to their mechanisms of action. This will allow emerging companies to make better decisions for and reduce the risk in future trials when choosing such critical parameters as dose levels, dose regimens, endpoints, measurement times, and patient selection criteria. This ability will substantially increase the value of an emerging company's portfolio of assets. In addition, the combined capabilities of Rosa and FOCUS-IP can be delivered to emerging companies through pre-arranged co-development agreements with established pharmaceutical manufacturers via FOCUS-IP's global network of licensing partners.

Established biopharmaceutical clients benefit from the alliance by gaining access to a steady stream of innovative product candidates that match pre-defined competitive product profiles and specified patient populations. The known efficacy and safety profiles of each candidate are precisely-characterized by their M&S package, thus reducing risk in each licensing transaction and streamlining the subsequent development program.

"This alliance is a powerful extension of our current strategic collaborations with both emerging and established bio-pharmaceutical clients," said Ron Beaver, Ph.D., CEO and Founder of Rosa. "It allows emerging companies to use M&S in a more systematic manner, earlier in the discovery and development process, to enhance the value of their assets. And it directly addresses the essential strategic challenge of established companies - improving the quantity and quality of candidates entering their clinical development pipeline."

Press Release Contact Information:

Rebecca Baillie
Rosa & Co
Chief Scientist
751 Laurel St., Ste. 127
San Carlos, CA
USA 94070
Voice: 530-661-7476
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