NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Japanese drug firm Eisai and its diagnostics subsidiary Eidia said today that they are dissolving their diagnostics R&D subsidiary, Palma Bee'Z Research Institute, as part of the Eisai Group's transformation of its in vitro diagnostics development operations.
Palma Bee'Z will be dissolved effective March 31, 2013.
Palma Bee'Z will be absorbed into a new diagnostics research organization called the Diagnostics Development Department, formed in June with the merger of Eisai's Biomarker Personalized Medicine Core Function Unit (BPM CFU) with Eidia's diagnostics R&D operations. The Diagnostic Development Department was created in order to leverage advances in human biology to develop in vitro diagnostics, including companion diagnostics.
With the inclusion of Palma Bee'Z into the organization, Eisai said it "expects to further enhance its product creation structure, aiming to continue to realize early development of in vitro diagnostics." Additionally, it will "strengthen [Eisai Group's] product creation structure to reflect its focus on personalized medicine."
Palma Bee'Z was created in May 2002 in order to conduct R&D of diagnostics applying gene signal amplification technology developed by Eidia. As of March 31, 2012, it had ¥50 million ($638,816) in capital.