Serono announces strategy for development at first R&D day

With what some analysts have described as a "thin" near-term pipelineand the uncertainty of getting the multiple sclerosis drug Rebif (interferon beta-1a) onto the US market (Marketletter July 16), the onus is now on Serono of Switzerland to enhance growth through new product developments.

At the company's first-ever R&D day presentation, held in Geneva, on July 13, Serono highlighted the development of new drugs in existing therapeutic areas of reproductive endocrinology, and multiple sclerosis, as well as growth hormones, coupled with developments in new therapeutic areas such as rheumatology, gastroenterology and neurodegenerative diseases. An additional string to the company's bow is the signing of a $20 million two-year collaboration with Inpharmatica which will focus on the discovery of novel protein therapeutics (see page 5).

Serono currently has 13 New Molecular Entities in development, of which six are recombinant proteins, with a further two entering into development shortly. The first of these is a chemokine inhibitor which has shown potential as a new treatment for MS after showing promising activity in an experimental model of the disease (allergic encephalomyelitis). The second is a low-molecular-weight inhibitor of the oxytocin receptor which, when given orally, has potential as a novel treatment for premature labor. The firm's chief executive, Ernesto Bertarelli, notes that, with the announcement of these two possible new drugs, "2001 is shaping up to be another landmark year for Serono."