NovAliX signs insourcing agreement with UCB Biopharma

Illkirch, France, March 7, 2017 – NovAliX, a drug discovery-focused Contract Research Organization (CRO) today announces that it has signed a multi-year insourcing agreement with Belgian biopharmaceutical company UCB Biopharma. Under the terms of the agreement, NovAliX will deliver on-site discovery chemistry services to support small molecules drug discovery programs. Details of the agreement have not been disclosed.

NovAliX offers a unique collaborative model for insourcing operations in chemistry, biophysics and drug discovery. Its model is based on the proximity created by the client’s and NovAliX’s teams both operating on the client’s site. This proximity allows faster turnaround time and improves cost efficiency, thanks to the optimal use of existing available research laboratories and equipment at the client’s premises. This insourcing model also enables local teams at various sites to share best practices to improve efficiency.

“This new collaborative agreement acknowledges not only the benefits of insourcing as a cost-efficient sourcing approach, it also proves that it’s a scientifically sound model,” said Stephan Jenn, president of NovAliX. “Our agreement with UCB shows that pharma companies today focus on new innovative sourcing models.”

NovAliX currently works with five partners from the top 50 pharma companies as well as seven research sites across Europe, all operating on the co-located research program model. It has seven years of expertise in insourcing operations in chemistry, biophysics and, more recently, drug discovery.

About NovAliX

NovAliX is a drug discovery-focused CRO with several unique technologies. It is highly proficient in chemistry and biophysics.

The company has set up one of the world’s most comprehensive biophysics platforms, from screening to identification and detailed characterization of drug-target interactions using protein X-ray crystallography, native mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and cryo-electron microscopy.

NovAliX’s innovative, cost-effective, collaborative and co-located research programs involve dedicated teams of scientists working throughout Europe in its partners’ laboratories. Close proximity fosters the seamless transfer of knowledge in both directions and speeds up the research process.

NovAliX, founded in 2002, is based in Illkirch, in the heart of the Bio-Valley Upper Rhine region, France, employing 110 researchers. Sales figures from 2016 amounted to €8 million ($8.4M).

www.novalix-pharma.com