AstraZeneca and Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma to collaborate on diabetic nephropathy

Anglo-Swedish drug major AstraZeneca (LSE: AZN) has entered into a three-year research collaboration on diabetic nephropathy with Japanese pharma company Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma (TYO: 4508).

The companies are aiming to leverage their strengths and assets to encourage the progress of molecules into clinical development, from target selection to the delivery of small molecule candidate drugs. The research is to be carried out in parallel at Mitsubishi Tanabe’s facilities in Japan, and at AstraZeneca’s plant in Sweden. Neither company is required to make a financial commitment to the research, and both will contribute equal resources at their own cost.

Takashi Kobayashi, division manager of research division, Mitsubishi Tanabe, said: “MTPC is now focusing its drug discovery research efforts and multifaceted translational research, including collaboration with Kyoto University Hospital and TMK project, to developing new treatments for chronic kidney disease patients. We expect the new collaboration with AstraZeneca will strengthen the expertise of both companies in this area and accelerate the delivery of new medicines for patients with diabetic nephropathy.”