Most Frequently Asked Questions
Are you a service provider, or an R&D drug discovery company?
We used to be both, but not any more. NiKem Research created and nurtured in the past an internal R&D pipeline by validating a small number of IP protected, high value projects in CNS and oncology. At the beginning of 2007, the decision to spin out the R&D portfolio was taken; therefore, NiKem Research is now a pure, high quality service partner for drug discovery projects with no risk of any “conflict of interest”.
Is there a controlling interest by GSK?
While GSK does have a minority equity holding, and has been a client, it does not have any controlling interest in governing the affairs of NiKem and does not have any access to confidential information of other clients. In other words, NiKem operates with 100%independence from GSK.
What is your pricing policy?
We use a flexible model that includes FTE-, project-
and assay-based pricing, NiKem Only and Hybrid NiKem/low cost supplier project resourcing, partnership/risk sharing, discounts for trial periods and for >1 year contracts, etc.. We can boast very competitive prices when compared to the rest of the industry. Moreover, our FTE price is all inclusive of overhead, technical services, reagent costs and support staff, including computational chemistry and analytical support, as well as biological screening, early ADMET and in vivo PK. Should only parts of the full package be needed by a customer, then our prices will be decreased accordingly.
Do you request milestone payments or royalties?
No. The FTE cost covers all compensation due to NiKem.
What is your policy concerning IP rights?
All IP rights will be property of the client. We provide to the client all the necessary assistance to file any new invention at their request.
Frequently Asked Questions
Commonly Asked Questions
Are you a drug discovery service provider, or a chemistry-based service provider?
A drug discovery service provider. Although in the past NiKem established its international reputation as a reliable chemistry-oriented service partner, it has now grown its capacity by re-investing its revenues in other areas of lead discovery and optimization, such as biological profiling, early ADMET, in vivo PK and virtual drug discovery.
What is the experience level of your scientific staff?
> 85% are doctorate level or equivalent and the combined average amount of experience in the pharmaceutical industry is greater than 7 years (greater than 20 years for 25% of our staff).
What is the technical status of your laboratory equipment?
In the few years before the GSK merger, a major investment was made in the SmithKlineBeecham Milan research site that included the acquisition of state of the art high throughput parallel synthesis and analytical equipment. NiKem has continued to significantly expand our research platform (now including computational hardware and software, bioanalytics and ADMET/PK instrumentation), and will continue to do so by allocating around 10% of revenues to capital expenditure each year.
Do you do other services such as large-scale bulk synthesis or process chemistry?
We have decided to concentrate on our core competency, which is multiparametric lead discovery and optimization, and more in details compound/array design and synthesis, rational drug design, hit validation, lead optimization, biochemical and early ADMET-PK profiling. While it is tempting to become a "one stop shopping" company, our commitment to outstanding quality prevents it, since we would not be able to guarantee the same high level of quality in other service areas.
Are there major developments planned for 2009-2010?
Yes. We recently had a successful GLP certification visit (July 2009) of our analytical laboratory and are now awaiting the official certification before offering GLP bioanalysis to our clients. This lab will be dedicated to the set-up and validation of GLP analytical methods, and to the quantification of compounds in samples from any biological matrix or species. NiKem may become part of multicenter GLP studies. We will also continue to expand our ADMET/PK capabilities with detection of reactive metabolites, P450 induction and brain tissue binding all likely candidate assays for the next12 months
Is there a language barrier that would hinder any collaboration?
No. The vast majority of the staff are very proficient in English, and all our records are written in English. Our heritage stems from SmithKlineBeecham, where international collaborations were commonplace and all correspondence was in English.