Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics said today it will collaborate with Pfizer to develop and commercialize diagnostic tests for undisclosed therapeutic products across Pfizer’s pipeline.
The value of the collaboration was not disclosed, though the companies did say Siemens will be one of several partners with which Pfizer will work to develop and provide in vitro diagnostic tests for use in clinical studies and, potentially, eventual global commercialization with Pfizer drugs.
The Siemens Clinical Laboratory (SCL), a testing laboratory focused on advancing personalized medicine, will develop the companion diagnostic tests under the companies’ master agreement. Siemens said the collaboration will draw upon not only Pfizer’s commitment to developing companion diagnostics for its drugs but also Siemens’ global ability to develop clinical diagnostics for hospital and reference laboratories, specialty laboratories, and point-of-care settings, including clinics and physician offices.
“Our relationship with Pfizer marks a major milestone in Siemens’ personalized medicine strategy,” commented Dr. Trevor Hawkins, svp, strategy and innovations in the diagnostics division of Siemens Healthcare, a €13.6 billion ($18.7 billion)-a-year unit of Siemens AG.
The Pfizer deal continues a series of companion diagnostics collaborations for the German conglomerate. Last year Siemens announced CDx development deals with ViiV Healthcare, an HIV therapeutics company established in 2009 by Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline; and Tocagen, the developer of a gene therapy technology designed to fight high-grade glioma, an aggressive form of brain cancer that includes glioblastoma multiforme and anaplastic astrocytomas.
