“Nature Open Library” is the company’s Open Innovation program, which was launched by Pierre Fabre in late 2015. Through the program the company shares its private plants' collection, which features more than 15,000 samples, and its knowledge of the phyto-industrial value chain.
The new partnership with VibioSphen is the second of its kind, after Plasticell signed on in February 2016.
"This second partnership confirms the interest rouse by our Nature Open Library initiative. We are especially glad to implement it with a biotech company from the Toulouse region which makes its dynamism available for the further development of therapies in the field of infectious diseases, a medical field with the utmost importance not included in our R&D program but which could benefit from the given opportunities via our plants' collection," said Laurent Audoly, Pierre Fabre Pharmaceuticals R&D Director.
VibioSphen will screen Pierre Fabre's plants' collection, with the goal of identifying new natural molecules which could be tested afterwards on several infectious diseases models.
As per the agreement, if the screening phase if completed successfully, Pierre Fabre will become VibioSphen's preferred partners for the further development of identified molecules.
"This partnership is a real opportunity for us to develop our portfolio of molecules. Through this collaboration, VibioSphen will benefit from the expertise of a major group like Pierre Fabre,” said Maxime Fontanié, VibioSphen's CEO. “The access to these natural extracts and to pre-qualified molecules will help us identify more quickly drug candidates. New therapies can be discovered via natural molecules to fight against antibiotic resistant bacteria.”