Bayer expands research work to fight cancer in Asia
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Bayer AG said on Thursday it had entered into five projects with scientists in Singapore to work on earlier diagnosis and treatment of cancers that are most prevalent in Asia.
Senior researchers at the German pharmaceutical giant also said they had identified five compounds which they hope can fight liver, stomach and colorectal cancer.
“Five compounds that have survived early identification fit into these three cancers with high prevalence in Asia,” Ludger Dinkelborg, head of Bayer’s diagnostic imaging research, said in an interview.
“We can’t predict if one of the five will make it. Of course, we want to make it to market, which is why we are here.”
Cancer is a leading cause of mortality worldwide, accounting for 7.4 million deaths in 2004. Topping the list is lung cancer, which killed 1.3 million people, followed by cancers of the stomach (803,000), colorectum (639,000) and liver (610,000).
The World Health Organization projects there will be 12 million cancer deaths worldwide in 2030.
Faced with a string of patent expirations in the next few years, large pharmaceutical companies are looking to patients in emerging markets and taking an interest in diseases prevalent in these growing regions.
Monika Lessi, who handles Bayer’s external R&D policy and collaborations, said the five projects in Singapore will cover basic research from cell culture and animal studies to clinical trials.
“We have to improve early diagnosis, have more accurate staging and characterization of the tumors and then we can have the right therapy for the right patient,” Dinkelborg added.
Bayer conducted 50 clinical trials in Asia in 2009 covering cardiovascular and women’s health, Alzheimer’s disease and imaging studies, compared to just five in 2005.
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SINGAPORE (Reuters)
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