NIPL R

Mumbai, Feb 26 (UNI) NPIL Research&Development Limited (NRDL) has commenced Phase I studies of a new experimental drug molecule, P1201-07, in The Netherlands.

NRDL, recently demerged from Nicholas Piramal, had submitted the Clinical Trial Application (CTA) for P1201-07 to the Central Committee on Research Involving Human Subjects (CCMO), the regulatory authority of The Netherlands, and the Independent Ethics Committee of the foundation Evaluation Of Ethics in Biomedical Research (BEBO), Assen, The Netherlands. Both these bodies have approved the Company's application to initiate the Phase I study of P1201-07. P1201-07 is an in-licensed compound from Eli Lilly&Co.

(USA) and is being developed for metabolic disorders.

''This is our fourth new drug to enter the clinic and the first from the research collaboration with pharma major Eli Lilly. The drug development timeline is on schedule. We in-licensed this molecule from Lilly only in January 2007, and it has gone to the clinic in just a year'', Director- Strategic Alliances and Communications NPIL Dr Swati Piramal said.

NRDL had R&D capabilities in Custom Chemical Synthesis, Process Innovation, NDDS and Basic Research. NRDL has state-of-the-art R&D laboratories built over 200,000 square-feet of space and over 300 scientists engaged in world-class drug discovery research and development and was focussed on four therapeutic areas- Cancer, Diabetes, Inflammation and Infectious Diseases, with a pipeline of nine synthetic chemical compounds in pre-clinical development.

NRDL's lead chemical compound, a Cdk-4 inhibitor, was currently Phase I/II trials for Multiple Myeloma. NRDL also has three phyto-pharmaceutical candidates in clinical trials for Rheumatoid Arthritis, Infectious Disease and Cancer.

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