Singapore: WuXi PharmaTech has collaborated with US based Foundation Medicine, a molecular information company, for providing comprehensive genomic profiling to biopharmaceutical companies conducting clinical trials in China.

Under the terms of the collaboration, Foundation Medicine will license and enable WuXi to perform the laboratory component of Foundation Medicine's FoundationOne assay at the WuXi Genome Center in Shanghai. Foundation Medicine will offer China-based products and services to global biopharmaceutical partners to support their clinical research and development efforts in China. Financial terms of the collaboration are not being disclosed.

"China is poised to become the second-largest pharmaceutical market within the next few years," said Dr Ge Li, chairman and chief executive officer of WuXi. "WuXi has seen rapidly increasing demand for molecular profiling services from biopharmaceutical companies as they scale up R&D operations and early development activities in the region. We are pleased to partner with Foundation Medicine, the recognized global leader in comprehensive genomic profiling and a trusted partner of our customers, to provide best-in-class genomic testing to support targeted oncology therapeutic development in China."

"WuXi is the recognized leader in providing high-quality R&D services in China to the biopharmaceutical industry," said Mr Michael J Pellini, president and chief executive officer of Foundation Medicine. "The development and use of targeted therapies and comprehensive diagnostic tests in oncology are expected to grow significantly in China. WuXi's leadership position in China makes WuXi an ideal partner as Foundation Medicine expands its global reach to support targeted drug development and clinical entry into this rapidly growing market."

Foundation Medicine is working with more than 20 biopharmaceutical companies to provide comprehensive genomic profiling in more than 100 studies in 2014. Publicly announced research partners include AstraZeneca, Eisai, Johnson & Johnson, Novartis, and Sanofi.