As part of its goal of transforming care for its patients through translational research, UPMC announced a collaboration with PharmaLogic Holdings Corp. to facilitate the development of novel radiopharmaceuticals for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer and other diseases. The partners will jointly construct a world-class radiopharmaceutical research, production and distribution facility in Pittsburgh, expected to be one of the largest such centers in the United States.
Under the terms of the non-exclusive agreement, PharmaLogic and UPMC will translate investigational radiopharmaceuticals into clinically relevant drugs for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, cardiovascular and other diseases. The partnership will provide access to novel diagnostic and therapeutic agents not currently available to the communities surrounding UPMC, benefiting patients and clinicians alike.
"This innovative partnership will allow us to produce cutting-edge therapies that, due to their nature, can't be brought in from distant facilities and, therefore, aren't currently available for patients in our communities," said Alfred L'Altrelli, Pharm.D., senior director of pharmacy at UPMC . "Even beyond the immediate benefit to our patients, this collaboration will transform our clinical research infrastructure, allowing us to not only discover new molecules but also take them through all phases of research and development into mainstream production for future patients."
PharmaLogic will manage and co-fund a world-class Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) facility on the UPMC campus in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh. As a well-established and highly experienced contract development and manufacturing organization, PharmaLogic possesses the expertise necessary to build, outfit and manage a successful radiopharmaceutical production facility. In addition to investing in the facility, UPMC will be the anchor clinical customer and provide strategic, research and operational support in a market expected to grow at double-digit rates through the end of the decade.
"It is a privilege for PharmaLogic to participate in this partnership with UPMC, which will provide patients and clinicians with first-in-line access to novel radiopharmaceuticals," said Scott Holbrook, chief strategy officer and general manager for PharmaLogic. "The establishment of this partnership marks a significant milestone for our organization toward achieving the goal of collaborating with leading health care institutions. Given the expertise and reputation of UPMC, this facility will serve as a center of excellence globally for years to come."
Timothy R. Billiar, M.D., UPMC executive vice president and chief scientific officer, said, "UPMC is dedicated to providing the highest quality, affordable care to our patients and communities. By collaborating with PharmaLogic, we can offer our patients the latest therapeutic options in this area of high unmet clinical need. We will continue to work with our research colleagues at the University of Pittsburgh and with support from UPMC Enterprises to keep us at the cutting edge of this rapidly evolving field of medicine."