Partnership to develop Companion Diagnostics Announced

Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics has announced that it has entered into a collaboration agreement with Pfizer to design, develop and commercialise diagnostic tests for therapeutic products across Pfizer’s pipeline. Under the agreement, Siemens will be one of Pfizer's collaboration partners to develop and provide in vitro diagnostic tests for use in clinical studies and, potentially, eventual global commercialisation with Pfizer products.

The Siemens Clinical Laboratory (SCL), a high-complexity testing laboratory focused on advancing personalised medicine, will develop the companion diagnostic tests under the partnership. The collaboration will leverage Siemens' worldwide leadership in providing clinical diagnostic solutions for hospital and reference laboratories, specialty laboratories and point-of-care settings to help enable diagnostics development.

"Companion diagnostics are an important enabler of targeted therapies for patients," stated John Hubbard, Senior Vice President and Worldwide Head of Development Operations at Pfizer. "This agreement with Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics is another example of Pfizer's commitment to develop new precision medicines to address unmet clinical needs."

"Our relationship with Pfizer marks a major milestone in Siemens' personalised medicine strategy," stated Dr Trevor Hawkins, Senior Vice President, Strategy & Innovations, Diagnostics Division, Siemens Healthcare. "We look forward to collaborating with Pfizer to realise the goal of advancing innovative solutions that change the way patient care is delivered and, together, shape the future of diagnostic medicine."

Companion diagnostic tests are clinical tests linked to a specific drug or therapy intended to assist physicians in making more informed and personalised treatment decisions for their patients. When used in the drug development process, companion diagnostics may help pharmaceutical companies improve patient selection and treatment monitoring, determine the preferred therapy dosing for patients, and establish a protocol to help maximise the treatment benefit for patients.