Shanghai: Shuwen Biotech Co. Ltd. and Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine Co., Ltd. announced today that they have entered into a collaboration agreement for companion diagnostics development.

Under the agreement, Shuwen Biotech will develop companion diagnostic assays and kits for an unidentified anticancer drug candidate Hengrui is developing. Hengrui will also entrust Shuwen to screen patients at Shuwen's diagnostic reference labs using the diagnostic assays for Hengrui's clinical trials. Shuwen will manufacture and market the diagnostic kit upon regulatory approval.

"We are very pleased to have reached this agreement with Shuwen Biotech. Companion diagnostics is an increasingly important component of our drug development. Shuwen is an emerging leader in personalized cancer diagnostics. Shuwen's capabilities in both IVD kits and reference laboratory testing make it an ideal partner in companion diagnostics for our innovative drug development," commented Dr. Lianshan Zhang, President of Global R&D at Hengrui.

"Hengrui Medicine is a leader in targeted therapies for cancer with a full pipeline of innovative drugs in development," stated Jay Z. Zhang, Chairman and CEO of Shuwen Biotech. "This partnership is testimony to the expertise and full capabilities in companion diagnostics we can provide in development, manufacturing, marketing and testing services to our partners and eventually physicians and patients."