Pfizer Extends R&D Pact With Santaris

Pfizer has expanded a collaboration with Denmark’s Santaris Pharma directed at developing RNA-targeted medicines using Santaris technology. Pfizer will pay $14 million up front and milestone payments of up to $600 million. The program builds on a 2009 deal between Santaris and Wyeth, which Pfizer acquired. Meanwhile, Pfizer Animal Health has acquired Synbiotics, a specialist in immunodiagnostic tests for pets and livestock, for an undisclosed sum. Pfizer says the acquisition broadens its offerings to veterinarians at clinics and on farms. It also expands Pfizer’s reach into diagnostic reference laboratories and reproductive services for canine breeders.