Akzo Nobel Opens Europe's Most Advanced Research Center for the Discovery of New Medicines in Psychiatry.ARNHEM, the Netherlands--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 11, 1998--Organon, a business unit of Akzo Nobel Akzo Nobel is a multinational company, active in the fields of healthcare products, coatings and chemicals. Headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, the company has activities in more than 80 countries, and employs approximately 62,000 people. , is expanding its research activities with the opening today of new chemistry laboratories at its Newhouse site in Lanarkshire, Scotland. The Newhouse site will be Europe's most advanced research center for the discovery of new medicines for depression and schizophrenia. The state-of-the-art chemistry laboratories - a NLG NLG The ISO 4217 currency code for the Dutch Guilder. 50 million (USD USD In currencies, this is the abbreviation for the U.S. Dollar. Notes: The currency market, also known as the Foreign Exchange market, is the largest financial market in the world, with a daily average volume of over US $1 trillion. 26 million/ GBP GBP In currencies, this is the abbreviation for the British Pound. Notes: The currency market, also known as the Foreign Exchange market, is the largest financial market in the world, with a daily average volume of over US $1 trillion. 16 million / EURO 23 million) expansion will be accommodated in Organon's Newhouse research center with the aim of delivering better treatments for the many millions suffering from depression and schizophrenia. "Innovation is the cornerstone for Akzo Nobel's successes and growth in the healthcare sector, and the choice for key investments in this Scottish UK site has been stimulated by the generally positive environment for Organon's innovative activities there" said Paul Brons, Akzo Nobel's Board Member responsible for the pharmaceutical business. Tjeerd Kalff, President of Organon or·ga·non or or·ga·num n. pl. or·ga·nons or or·ga·nums or or·ga·na 1. An organ. 2. A set of principles for use in scientific investigation. organon pl. organa [Gr.] organ. and Lord Macdonald, Industry Minister at the Scottish Office The Scottish Office was a department of the United Kingdom Government from 1885 until 1999, exercising a wide range of government functions in relation to Scotland under the control of the Secretary of State for Scotland. , opened the new chemistry laboratories. The new research center marks completion of the first phase of Organon's development program in Scotland and will enable Organon to increase its drugs discovery research staff at Newhouse from 90 in 1996 to 190. "Mental illness is expected to cause the greatest burden of ill health by the year 2000" said Tjeerd Kalff, President of Organon. "Organon has a renowned tradition in gynaecology but has over the past years become an important player in psychiatry with the launch of Remeron(R), our dual-action antidepressant antidepressant, any of a wide range of drugs used to treat psychic depression. They are given to elevate mood, counter suicidal thoughts, and increase the effectiveness of psychotherapy. . We expect that this new research center, with its state-of-the-art technologies and expertise, will keep our drug discovery program in depression and schizophrenia at the forefront of progress in science and medicine." The techniques of drugs discovery have been revolutionized in the past decade by powerful computerized systems. New combinatorial chemistry Combinatorial chemistry involves the rapid synthesis or the computer simulation of a large number of different but structurally related molecules. Introduction Synthesis of molecules in a combinatorial fashion can quickly lead to large numbers of molecules. techniques, for example, which will be accommodated in the new laboratories at Newhouse, now allow the synthesis of tens of thousands of new compounds in a short period of time; only a few years ago traditional chemistry techniques restricted synthesis to between 20 and 40 compounds per chemist per year. Similarly, high throughput screening now allows scientists to measure the impact of many thousands of molecules at selected and often newly discovered drug targets (a receptor, enzyme or other protein) at high speed. All these advanced systems will be accommodated in Organon's Newhouse research center. The concentration of Organon's central nervous system (CNS See Continuous net settlement. CNS See continuous net settlement (CNS). ) drug discovery research at Newhouse is testimony to Organon's long-standing commitments to Scotland (the company's first Newhouse factory opened in 1948) and to the expertise available in neighbouring medical centers and universities. Organon is already involved in a major research collaboration with the University of Edinburgh (body, education) University of Edinburgh - A university in the centre of Scotland's capital. The University of Edinburgh has been promoting and setting standards in education for over 400 years. into the genetic basis of depression and schizophrenia and how that might offer opportunities for treatment. Organon, a business unit within Akzo Nobel's Pharma Group, develops and produces pharmaceutical products in the fields such as gynaecology, psychiatry, athero-thrombosis, and auto-immune diseases. Major product groups are oral contraceptives Oral Contraceptives Definition Oral contraceptives are medicines taken by mouth to help prevent pregnancy. They are also known as the Pill, OCs, or birth control pills. , infertility treatments, and preparations for menopausal complaints, depression, and psychosis. Organon employs approximately 9,000 employees worldwide. Year after year, between 15 and 20 per cent of Organon's sale income is invested in its drug discovery and development programs. Akzo Nobel, based in the Netherlands, serves customers throughout the world with healthcare products, coatings, chemicals and fibers. The company currently employs some 87.500 people in more than 60 countries. Consolidated sales for 1997 totaled NLG 24.1 billion (USD 12 billion / GBP 7.5 billion / EURO 10.8 billion). Internet: http://www.organon.com/index2.html http://www.akzonobel.com |
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