Cabernet Pharmaceuticals and Lilly in alliance to develop patient-tailored therapeutic drugs

20 November 2008

Cabernet Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) today announced an alliance to further integrate pharmacogenetics into Lilly’s drug-development efforts.

Pharmacogenetics, the study of the genetic basis for varying individual response to medicines, helps to identify patient populations most likely to benefit from specific medicines and, just as importantly, those patients least likely to respond. Pharmacogenetic research also helps to define which patient groups are more likely or less likely to experience side effects.

Under the agreement, Cabernet consultants will join clinical-development teams at Lilly to assist in applying pharmacogenetics to selected development projects. Financial terms were not disclosed.

“Pharmacogenetics has come of age,” said Stephen Eck, vice president, Translational Medicine and Pharmacogenomics, at Lilly. “It is one of the tools we increasingly bring to developing tailored therapeutics for better-defined patient groups. The experience of Cabernet in applying pharmacogenetics to drug development will supplement Lilly’s in-house capabilities, providing us a flexible resource as we manage the dynamics of our R&D pipeline.”

Allen D Roses, MD, president and chief executive officer of Cabernet, said: “We are delighted to form an alliance with a company of Lilly’s stature, a company that is committed to developing medicines that can be used with greater precision. We look forward to working closely with Lilly’s R&D organization to further our common mission of delivering the right medicines at the right doses to the right patients.”

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