Aptuit and Chiesi Initiate Integrated Discovery Project to Identify Novel Compounds for the Treatment of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

GREENWICH, Connecticut and PARMA, Italy, January 4, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Aptuit, LLC, a premier global drug discovery and development CRO, and Chiesi Farmaceutici (Chiesi), an international research-focused Healthcare Group, announced today that they have entered an agreement under which Aptuit will conduct an integrated Discovery Project aimed at providing innovative drugs to treat Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.

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Both parties will contribute scientifically, with Aptuit providing integrated early Discovery capabilities, including Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacology, as well as Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, in order to identify promising compounds for further pre-clinical development.  

Dr. Jonathan Goldman, Chief Executive Officer, Aptuit, stated, "This project builds upon the existing relationship between Chiesi and Aptuit in the field of Respiratory Drug Discovery. We are delighted to be working with Chiesi to identify early stage compounds that we hope will ultimately progress into innovative treatments for patients with this debilitating disease".  

Dr. Mark Parry Billings, Corporate Drug Development Head, Chiesi Farmaceutici, commented, "We are very pleased to announce the partnership with Aptuit.  We share a common culture of scientific excellence and commitment to quality research and development. This alliance will allow our Project to progress effectively to the identification of lead compounds with a novel mechanism of action, leveraging our joint expertise in Respiratory drug discovery".

About Aptuit 

Aptuit provides the most complete set of integrated early discovery to mid-phase drug development services in the pharmaceutical industry including Drug Design & Discovery, API Development and Manufacture, Solid State Chemistry, CMC, Preclinical and IND enabling GLP/GMP programs. Fully integrated drug discovery & development services are available from our facilities in the UK, Italy, and Switzerland.

Aptuit Holdings, LLC is partnered with Welsh, Carson, and Anderson & Stowe, one of the world's leading private equity investors.

For more information: http://www.aptuit.com

About Chiesi Farmaceutici
Chiesi Farmaceutici is a research-focused international group, with more than 80 years of experience headquartered in Parma (Italy). Chiesi researches, develops and commercializes innovative pharmaceutical solutions in the respiratory therapeutics, specialist medicine and rare diseases areas. In 2015, Chiesi achieved sales of over 1.4 billion Euros, constituting a 9.4 % growth over 2014. Its R&D centers in Parma (Italy), Paris (France), Cary (USA), Chippenham (UK) and the R&D team of the controlled Danish company Zymenex, integrate their efforts to advance Chiesi's pre-clinical, clinical and registration programs. The Chiesi Group employs approximately 4500 people, 560 of which are dedicated to R&D activities.
For more information: http://www.chiesi.com

For more information about Aptuit
Jim Regan
+44-7464544898
jim.regan@aptuit.com

For more information about Chiesi
Valentina Biagini
+39-348-7693-623
v.biagini@chiesi.com