Research Outsourcing

Bristol-Myers Squibb will set up an R&D lab in Bangalore with its longtime research partner Syngene. Farther north, in Hyderabad, DuPont will establish its first plant biotechnology lab outside the U.S.

The Bangalore lab will employ as many as 400 scientists working on behalf of BMS. It will conduct discovery and early development work and have capabilities in the areas of medicinal chemistry, biology, drug metabolism, and drug development, according to the company.

A Syngene executive says the BMS-Syngene collaboration is similar to that between Wyeth and GVK Bio, which agreed last year to set up a lab employing as many as 150 synthetic chemists in Hyderabad (C&EN, May 15, 2006, page 34). Syngene, a subsidiary of the biotechnology firm Biocon, is one of India's oldest and largest contract research companies.

In a separate agreement, BMS says it will outsource work in the areas of clinical data, document management, pharmacovigilance, and scientific writing to Accenture's Indian unit. Accenture will execute the contract at its facilities in Bangalore and Chennai. Together, BMS says, the Syngene and Accenture deals could be worth $300 million over eight years.

At DuPont, 20 crop genetics scientists are developing new seeds in leased facilities in Hyderabad; as many as 100 geneticists are expected to be conducting research there by year's end. In 2008, the scientists will move into the multi-industry DuPont Knowledge Center that the company is building nearby. Planned to be large enough for more than 300 scientists, the center will accommodate work in biology, materials science, and general chemistry.