Pfizer acquires privately-held Bioren

Continuing its acquisition trail, pharmaceutical leviathan Pfizer has completed the purchase of the privately-held, California, USA-based firm Bioren, which specializes in technology for the optimization of antibodies that assist drugmakers in developing medicines with improved properties. Financial terms were not disclosed

Bioren's platform technology is said to dramatically reduce the time and cost associated with drug discovery, maximize the performance of molecules prior to entering clinical development, strengthen the intellectual property protection of clinical/commercial candidates and help avoid royalties "stacking" issues. These include its Walk-Through Mutagenesis and Look-Through Mutagenesis technologies.

"The acquisition of Bioren strengthens Pfizer's commitment to the antibody space," commented Nick Saccomano, the drug major's senior vice president for worldwide research technology. "The ability to use and develop these technologies will help Pfizer identify new antibody leads, as well as improve current antibodies in development," he added.