Pfizer is to collaborate with electronics giant Siemens to develop companion diagnostic tests for its pipeline of medicines.
The US pharma company will work with Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics to design in vitro diagnostic tests to be used in clinical studies in the hope that the resulting tools will help Pfizer improve patient selection, treatment monitoring and dosing in its clinical studies.
The deal could expand beyond this however, said Siemens, with the potential for global commercialisation of the tests alongside the related therapy.
The Siemens Clinical Laboratory (SCL), a division of Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics based in California, will carry out the development of the diagnostics tests.
The SCL has an existing relationship with Pfizer through the pharma company’s joint venture ViiV Healthcare – a business created by GlaxoSmtihKline (GSK) and Pfizer to develop treatments for HIV.
In February 2012 Siemens Healthcare Diagnostic entered a partnership with ViiV Healthcare to develop diagnostics for use in clinical trials involving the HIV treatment Celsentri (maraviroc), as well as the potential commercialisation of diagnostic tests.
Siemens Healthcare Diagnostic’s other pharma partnerships include a deal with Tocagen to develop tests to support clinical trials for a brain cancer gene therapy.
Siemens Medical Solutions USA – the US healthcare arm of technology company Siemens – has also made diagnostic deals with pharma companies, including an agreement to sell two imaging agents to Lilly to help diagnose early-stage Alzheimer’s disease.
More precise diagnostics are becoming an increasing focus for pharma companies as medicines become personalised to tailor for specific types of disease.
Other companies to make major deals in recent include Boehringer Ingelheim, which will work with a subsidiary of Roche to develop cancer diagnostics for Boehringer’s burgeoning cancer business.