Synthelabo Presents 1996 Highlights, New Research

Progressing with its aim to become one of Europe's leadingpharmaceutical players, Synthelabo recently presented its 1996 highlights, including sales of its seven key products which form the backbone its annual turnover, and revealed the company's financial and R&D strategy to the year 2000.

As reported in the Marketletter last week (April 14), Herve Guerin, chairman of the company, said that since 1996, a major change has taken place in research. Two alliances forged last year, one with Genset and the other with SmithKline Beecham and Human Genome Sciences, has allowed Synthelabo to move into the area of genomics research. The Genset collaboration relates to the identification of genes associated with prostate cancer, while the SB/HGS deal allows Synthelabo access to the largest genomics database in the pharmaceutical industry.

In order to make the most of this new technology, and accelerate the drug discovery process, Synthelabo acquired the Hoechst Marion Roussel research center in Strasbourg, now renamed Synthelabo Biomoleculaire, which specializes in high-throughput screening and combinatorial technology.