Dako, an Agilent Technologies company, has announced it has entered into a master framework agreement with Eli Lilly and Company for the development of companion diagnostic tests to identify patients who may be more likely to benefit from an investigational oncology medicine currently under development by Lilly.
The agreement constitutes a framework for collaboration between Dako and Lilly with a focus on the Lilly oncology pipeline.
“Building lasting partnerships is a cornerstone to Dako,” says Lars Holmkvist, CEO of Dako and senior vice president, Agilent. “I warmly welcome Lilly, and I am excited about what we may accomplish together for the benefit of patients worldwide. This agreement heralds our mutual commitment to fighting cancer.“
Companion diagnostics are increasingly in demand with the recognition that personalised medicine may provide a way to improve patient care and manage health-care costs by targeting treatments to individuals more likely to benefit from specific therapies.
“Tailored therapies are a key component of Lilly’s strategy of providing improved outcomes for individual patients,” says Greg Zdechlik, chief operating officer, Diagnostics, Eli Lilly and Company. “We look forward to collaborating with Dako in an effort to develop oncology companion diagnostics for patients worldwide who are waiting.”
Dako has a strong heritage of developing diagnostic tests in collaboration with pharmaceutical companies. The collaboration with Lilly is another example of Dako’s position in the clinical diagnostics market as a strong partner for developing diagnostic tests for use in conjunction with medicines.
