Tokyo: Switzerland's Bachem and Initiative for Life Sciences (ILS) have decided to strengthen their co-marketing efforts in Japan.

The two companies have been establishing a close collaboration for more than a decade, already. Based on the Sales and Marketing agreement which was signed in 2012, ILS is providing Bachem manufactured Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) to Japanese customers.

In the course of the acquisition of American Peptide Company Inc. (APC), based in California USA, and its transfer from ILS to Bachem, both companies underlined their intentions to extend the current business relations.

Under the agreement, ILS will be the Exclusive Agent for Japan for all peptide-based products of the Bachem Group; this applies to non-GMP research chemicals as well as for cGMP grade APIs. In addition, ILS will register Drug Master Files in Japan for APIs manufactured by Bachem.

Commenting on the collaboration, José de Chastonay, Chief Marketing Officer of Bachem Holding AG, said, "We are pleased to extend our successful long term collaboration with ILS. Indeed, we recognize their acumen to market successfully peptidic APIs in Japan. Our relationship spans more than a decade in which we have worked harmoniously and successfully together. To enter into an exclusive agreement will consolidate our position in the highly demanding Japanese Market."

Takahiro Ogata, President of ILS Inc., also said, "We have been selling Bachem manufactured APIs for years, although the majority of our peptide business were APC's products. Now, as APC is a part of the Bachem Group, we are really enthusiastic about extending our partnership with Bachem. They are a highly reliable source of both research grade peptides from catalog or custom synthesis and cGMP manufactured APIs from small to very large scale. Based on this agreement, ILS provides its customers the largest possible selection of research grade peptides, the reliable supply of peptidic APIs and the highly qualified technical support from Bachem's experts."