Codexis, Merck ink 3-year extention of R&D partnership

In California, Codexis announced a three-year extension of its catalyst and process development collaboration with Merck to develop enzymes for use in pharmaceutical manufacturing.  As the collaboration enters its sixth year, Merck will continue to use Codexis’ enzyme products to develop more cost- and resource-efficient manufacturing processes for its therapeutic candidates.

The initial agreement was announced in April 2007 and today’s agreement provides an extension to 2015.  Merck has evaluated the use of Codexis enzymes extensively across programs in various stages of development, including their  collaborated to develop enzymes for custom reactions, such as for sitagliptin, the active pharmaceutical ingredient in Merck’s Januvia.