Commonwealth Biotechnologies, Inc. Asian Expansion
RICHMOND, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Commonwealth Biotechnologies, Inc. ("CBI") (NASDAQ Capital Market:CBTE) is pleased to provide an update regarding its continued expansion into the key Asian markets of India and China and its positioning for continued growth.
CBI Services entered into a renewable Agreement with Link Biotechnologies, New Delhi, India, under which Link Biotechnologies will act as the exclusive distributor of CBI's biotechnology-related goods, products, and services in the Northern India regions of the Punjab, Utter Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttranchal, Uttrakhand, Haryna, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan. Link Biotechnologies is an established broker and distributor of biotechnology services to the burgeoning pharmaceutical and biotechnology in India with such well known customers as Panacea Biotec, Ltd. and Ranbaxy Laboratories.
Since June 1st, when the Agreement went into effect, CBI Services has proposed more than $5.3 million in new work to numerous private sector and government agency customers identified by Link Biotechnologies. The first significant contract to result from these efforts, valued at approximately $150,000, was executed with a noted private sector biotechnology company and requires extensive protein characterization analyses done to GLP standards. Award of a second contract with a government biotechnology lab is expected shortly.
"This Agreement is consistent with CBI's efforts to revitalize its private sector client base, and is consistent with our corporate vision of expanded global services into and through Asia," said Robert B, Harris, Ph.D., President, CBI. "We have developed an excellent working relationship with Link Biotechnologies and anticipate extensive interactions with India's rapidly expanding biotechnology sector."
CBI has made significant progress on several key drug discovery contracts with biotechnology companies for the design, synthesis and optimization of lead series compounds in collaborators' programs at its new facility outside Shanghai in the Venturepharm (Asia) Innovation Center. The agreements have a potential value of up to $700,000 and will be announced upon execution.
Dr. Bill Guo, CBI's newly appointed Chairman, and founding CEO of Venturepharm Laboratories Ltd (HK.8225), said that "we are tremendously excited about CBI's expansion into China through its partnership with Venturepharm, not just for the immediate future but for decades to come. The dual drivers for growth in China, industrialization and urbanization, is nothing like the world has seen before. We are supporting an investment program to feed the demand for drug discovery services from China for decades. Notwithstanding the market vagaries affecting businesses in the current economic climate, we are tremendously excited by the demand for our Asian-based products and believe that we positioned well for growth in the long run."
About Commonwealth Biotechnologies, Inc.
CBI offers cutting-edge research and development products and services to the global life sciences industry through its western-based laboratories. CBI is focusing expansion of its drug discovery businesses in China in partnership with Venturepharm Laboratories Ltd. For more information, visit CBI on the web at www.cbi-biotech.com.
About Venturepharm
The Venturepharm Group is an Asia-based, life science leader. Its principal business activities are in providing affordable, world-class innovative services, plus venture capital, merchant banking, CRO, CMO, CSO, compound partnering, and royalty sharing. Venturepharm engages in strategic licensing of therapeutic compound pipelines, and markets projects to China, an emerging global top five market. Two of the flagships from the group are publicly traded companies:
- Venturepharm Lab (HK stock exchange 8225), China's largest full-service CRO
- Commonwealth Biotechnologies, Inc (NASDAQ: Capital market "CBTE")
The group now operates eight distinct business units with over 2500 employees worldwide: (1) CBI (US) /CBI(China)services: core biology and biochemistry; (2Fairfax Identity Laboratories, genetic testing and identification;(3) Mimotopes (Aus) /Mimotopes (China) for peptide Chemistry & discovery; (4) Tripos-VPA (China) for discovery chemistry and compounds; (5) VPSCro No.1 for global clinical, preclinical and regulatory affair services in China; (6) VTCmo: 5 production facilities for contract manufacturing of API and finished products; (7) VDMCso : A leading contract sales and clinical service organization with over 1000 sales reps and agents in China; and (8) VBank Capital, the group's merchant banking and investment group. Visit Venturepharm at www.venturepharm.com.
Forward Looking Statements
No statement made in this press release should be interpreted as an offer to purchase any security. Such an offer can only be made in accordance with the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and applicable state securities laws. Any statements contained in this release that relate to future plans, events or performance are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties as identified in CBI's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results, events or performance may differ materially. Readers are cautioned not to place undo reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as the date hereof. Specifically, CBI cannot guarantee that the joint venture with VPL will produce any revenues or meet the prospects referenced herein. In addition, CBI cannot guaranty that CBI or VPL will continue to experience positive revenue trends in the future. CBI undertakes no obligation to publicly release the results of any revisions to these forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect the events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.