Schering-Plough announces an investment in early drug discovery technologies supporting Research and Development. Ultra High Throughput Screening (uHTS) capabilities will be established at the SPRI centers in Kenilworth (U.S.), Newhouse (Scotland) and Oss (the Netherlands) in order to allow discovery of high quality leads from the Schering-Plough compound library. In addition, the compound library will be expanded and improved. As part of this investment the compound store at Newhouse will be enlarged to support SPRI research sites in Europe.
The investment of over $ 60 million in facilities and equipment, together with $22 million per year for the compound library (until 2013) is vital for the implementation of the SPRI strategy to deliver new drugs to the market. By establishing uHTS capabilities multiple high quality lead candidates can be identified from the compound library, which will result in reduced attrition, more efficient delivery of new drug candidates and shorter discovery project timelines.
The life cycle of a new drug discovery program typically begins with the identification of lead compounds from the compound library using high throughput screening. The Schering-Plough compound library represents the starting point for the majority of our drug development candidates, and ultimately the new innovative therapies developed by Schering-Plough. This investment will bring together the resource of the enhanced compound collection with the ability to rapidly identify leads of interest using uHTS. The new state of the art screening technology allows millions of compounds to be tested for activity at new drug targets in biochemical or cellular assays in a miniature format.
The quality and diversity of the compounds in the library is a key factor for the success of the R & D effort, and it is vital that the library consists of compounds of the highest quality in terms of structural diversity, purity and exclusivity. In combination, the investment in the compound collection and screening capabilities will enhance the efficiency and success of drug discovery within Schering-Plough.
About Schering-PloughSchering-Plough is an innovation-driven, science-centered global health care company. Through its own biopharmaceutical research and collaborations with partners, Schering-Plough creates therapies that help save and improve lives around the world. The company applies its research-and-development platform to human prescription and consumer products as well as to animal health products. Schering-Plough's vision is to "Earn Trust, Every Day" with the doctors, patients, customers and other stakeholders served by its colleagues around the world. The company is based in Kenilworth, N.J., and its Web site is www.schering-plough.com.