TCG Lifesciences meets Pfizer needs

TCG Lifesciences Limited (TCGLS), a leading contract research services and informatics company engaged in drug discovery, has said that it has successfully delivered a molecule to pharmaceutical giant Pfizer for a drug discovery.

TCGLS Thursday announced the nomination of pre-clinical development candidates (a small molecule new chemical entity that meets all the success criteria set by Pfizer) for the American multinational pharmaceutical corporation.

Swapan Bhattacharya, MD, TCG Lifesciences Ltd, Sourav Basu, Associate Vice President, Chemistry and Sandeep Gupta, General Manager, Corporate Affair, were present at the o announcement before media.

In 2004, TCGLS began its collaboration with Pfizer Inc and in 2009 they started engaging with them in a broader way.

Swapan Bhattacharya said, "Our collaboration with Pfizer has worked very efficiently, we work to create an asset and to meet the medical needs. Everything we do is for the sake of the patients."

Today, TCGLS is the only company in India who provides chemistry service to Pfizer.

A team of 40 scientists were involved in the project and they took only two years for the success.

Within two years, TCGLS delivered 3 chemical candidates for Pfizer.

Pfizer will take over the compound and will take it for clinical study, and if the candidates survive then they will internalize the programme and eventually it will go to the market, said the spokesperson.

Any discovery of drug involves a total period of 12-15 years and delivering a very successful drug cost approximately 15 billion dollar every year.

Apart from Pfizer, TCGLS is also working with 3-4 other pharma companies and the works are in progress.

Swapan Bhattacharya said, "2011 was a successful year as we made 4 significant molecules."

Including all the divisions, the annual turn over of TCGLS is in the range of Rs 500 crores.

The company also has a plan of diversification from chemistry based drugs to biological based drugs in coming years.

(Reporting by Priyam Mallick)