Qiagen and Novartis to collaborate on companion diagnostics

Qiagen, a provider of sample and assay technologies, has entered into a master collaboration agreement with Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis. The collaboration will enable the development and commercialisation of companion diagnostics to be paired with existing Novartis pharmaceutical products as well as compounds in its development pipeline.

The non-exclusive agreement with Novartis creates a framework for collaborations that would include developing Qiagen companion diagnostics to guide treatment decisions for Novartis pharmaceutical products. The scope of the collaboration can cover all Qiagen platforms, indications or biomarkers.

“We are very pleased to be working with Novartis in the development and commercialisation of companion diagnostics to support their innovative pharmaceutical products,” said Qiagen CEO Peer M Schatz. “Healthcare providers are increasingly benefiting from personalised treatment strategies based on genomic insights - to select the right drug for the right patient at the right time and in the right dose. This broad agreement gives Novartis and Qiagen the flexibility to pursue co-development projects.”

The collaboration with Novartis is the ninth master framework agreement reached by Qiagen for the development of companion diagnostics. The company is pursuing more than 20 collaborative projects with pharma and biotech companies to develop, validate and market companion diagnostics designed to guide the treatment of cancers and other diseases.

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