"The first molecule, which we gave to ROW2 for RouteDesign project, was already being researched by our process research team for almost 2 years. We knew a lot of chemistry for this molecule. But to our pleasant surprise, in just four weeks time ROW2 team came up with some novel approaches, which we had not considered before. We have now decided to use RouteDesign service early in the development cycle to maximize RouteDesign benefits."

- Process Development Head, one of the leading pharmaceutical companies, Europe.

"The web seminar sponsored by ROW2 Technologies on chiral synthesis was very interesting, gave information on up-to-date chemistry, and was well organized. I look forward to more seminars via web"

- Dr. William Nadler, Head of Chemical Synthesis, Industria Farmaceutica Serono, Italy

"ROW2's SmartChem has provided us with comprehensive data on applications, worldwide customers and competitors. It has helped us expand our business by identifying new customers and markets. I must say it's an excellent tool and more than just a database."

- Mr. Alessandro Gagnoni, Director Technical Development at PHF Sa, Switzerland

Learn more about:

Search SmartChem now, for the chemical of your choice.

View the SmartChem Demo:

ROW2 World:

• Route2Practice launched (Feb 06): At Informex 2006 in the USA, ROW2 launched a new service - Route2Practice for Process Research professionals. It is a fully integrated & customized service that provides Novel & Commercially scalable, Laboratory-proven & Patentable Route(s) to a company's target compound. Our distinction is in coming up with novel synthetic ideas, which stem from a rare combination of our proprietary software (with revolutionary search engines & a database of commercial chemistries) and organic chemistry expertise.
  
  To know more about this service, write to us here.





• Route2India Launched (Sep 06): A fully integrated and customized service which enables identification and evaluation of Custom Research/ Custom Manufacturing companies in India was launched successfully. It helps companies meet the various challenges involved in identifying the right and credible CRAMs partner, as they gain leverage due to ROW2’s immense know-how and rapport with the Indian industry.
  
  Click here to read more about this service.





• Webseminar (Jun 06): ROW2 Technologies hosted a webseminar titled “Fascinating Excursions into Chiral Chemistry: An Insider's Perspective”. The event was successfully attended and viewed by over 75 Process Research Professionals across worldwide organizations. The recording is now available on our website.
  





• Our Customers: In 2006, ROW2 achieved a landmark of servicing over 650 customers for its various offerings. Our Customers now include 7 of the top 10 Pharmaceutical Companies, 6 leading AgroScience firms and 4 of the Top 5 Chemical manufacturers worldwide.





• Events: This year ROW2 attended 8 major events and conferences worldwide. View the complete list here.
  
  

• ROW2 Event Alerts: The online Event Alerts have helped our customers in planning for major international events and conferences well in advance. We always try to obtain valuable discounts from event organizers for our customers. Many of our customers have benefited from these discounts. ROW2’s Event Watch Desk Calendar for 2006 highlighted the major international events and conferences in the life science and chemical industries. The Event Watch Calendar for 2007 will be made available in January 2007. Request for a free hard copy of the calendar here.
  
  

• Upcoming Events: ROW2 will exhibit at Informex 2007 (booth #1109), Feb 13-16, San Francisco, CA, USA. It will launch its new offering PathWays Plus and will also hold a Press Conference presenting views on the emerging partnering trends in the life science industry.

SmartChem In Retrospect

Continuing with our endeavor of adding more value to our customers’ business, we launched our first “Customer Relationship Management” Program this year. This program featured SmartChem enhancements and other initiatives specially designed to benefit our customers.

SmartChem enhancements:

• RapidFire Launched (Jan 06): In response to suggestions from our customers, we enhanced SmartChem with the time and effort saving tool-RapidFire. RapidFire ensures quick selection of targets and faster reach to them. We have received several encouraging feedback from the users of RapidFire.





• SmartTracker Launched (Jan 06): SmartChem subscribers are using the SmartTracker tool efficiently to maximize SmartChem benefits. We thank our customers for their response to SmartChem’s After Sales Service. ROW2 team successfully catered to over 450 After Sales Requests in 2006.





• SmartChem team was strengthened further to efficiently update SmartChem with the latest molecules in the life science and chemical industry.

Value adding initiatives:

• Elite Club Loyalty Program (Jun 06): We launched our Elite Club Program to reward our loyal SmartChem subscribers. The Qualified Elite members are now enjoying a variety of rewards and privileges through this program.





• ROW2 Event Guide: After getting overwhelming response in 2005, we continued with this initiative in the year 2006. We presented ROW2 Event guides for major international events. Our customers used these guides to identify the right targets and set up meetings at these events.





• Referral Program Launched (Nov 06): We recently launched our Referral Program for SmartChem subscribers. This is a unique Win-Win program where our customers can win valuable rewards for their organization. Three of our customers have already won rewards for their organization. Congratulations to all the winners!





• ROW2 Ad World: Our newsletter, CI2E Quarterly gives a unique opportunity for ROW2 customers to be visible to the most qualified target audiences from the global chemical and life science industries. We plan to launch various other advertising options in the year 2007.





• Thanksgiving Celebration (Nov 06): During the wonderful season of Thanksgiving, ROW2 had a lot to be thankful for. To show its appreciation and gratitude for the confidence and trust that customers have shown, ROW2 celebrated its first Annual Thanksgiving Day on November 22, 2006 by presenting subscribers with a small token of appreciation.
  
  

• Contests ’06: ROW2 joined the FIFA World Cup frenzy and arranged the exciting ROW2 FIFA Soccer Contest. Our customers from Europe and USA participated in this contest, had fun and bagged fabulous prizes. Our Indian customers enjoyed an exciting Cricket Contest specially organized for them.

We are proud to communicate that in 2006, our customer retention rate has gone up to over 75%. We take this opportunity to thank our customers for their continued patronage.

RouteDesign In Retrospect

In 2006, RouteDesign continued to receive good appreciation and response from the process research fraternity within life science and chemical companies.

RouteDesign Enhancements:

• RouteDesign enrichments: We launched the “RouteDesign Enhancement Program” in 2006 to cater to customized needs of our customers. On a case-to-case basis, we now offer enrichments/enhancements such as ranking of routes, raw material costing, rejected routes, Special comments, etc.
  We also strictly follow customized processes to ensure high level of confidentiality and IP protection.





• Process Research Chemists Day Celebration (Nov 06): At ROW2, we value the contribution of the Process Research Fraternity in creating innovative solutions essential for a better, and healthier life for people. As a gesture of our gratitude and appreciation to this fraternity, ROW2 celebrated its First Annual “Process Research Chemists Day” on November 10, 2006 to coincide with World Science Day.
  
  

Featured Article

Key Challenges for the European Pharmaceutical Industry Today

Article by Cristophe De Callatay of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations.

Medical progress underpinned by pharmaceutical innovation has played, and continues to play, a major role in increasing life expectancy, improving the quality of life and eradicating diseases which were previously life-threatening.

Through its heavy investment in R&D, the pharmaceutical industry's constant search for new life-saving and life-enhancing medicines provides new hopes and raises expectations that innovation will improve people's health and quality of life - as well as reduce the overall cost of healthcare. In 2005 alone, the pharmaceutical industry operating in Europe invested Euros 21.7 billion – i.e. 18% of all industrial research and development in Europe. In European laboratories, 103,000 industry scientists are currently researching and developing new cures and better treatments for cancer, heart disease, HIV/AIDS, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, arthritis, osteoporosis, cystic fibrosis and many other diseases. The pharmaceutical industry remains one of the most innovative and successful industries in the European Union, bringing substantial benefits and value for patients, Europe’s society and economy, but it faces the challenge of declining competitiveness as compared to its main competitors. Over the past 15 years, Europe has gradually lost its leadership in the pharmaceutical sector, with a steady transfer of its R&D primarily to the US, where policies and market conditions are more favourable to pharmaceutical innovation.

ROW2 picks of the quarter

To keep track of the latest industry/chemistry news, our research and commercial teams review several journals, publications and websites per month. Here are some interesting picks, which will be of relevance to you. Let us know what you think of our selections!

Pharma Challenged:
Published in: ( C&E News, Dec. 4, 2006 issue )
A very interesting read on how market shifts and generic competition have created a dynamic environment for Drug Developers.

Mergers and Acquisitions Trends in the Pharmaceutical Sector
Published in: ( frost.com, Dec 5, 2006 )
This wonderfully written article gives details about the Indian Pharmaceutical Industry till 2006 and the way forward.

Globalization of Science Rolls On:
Published in: ( C&E News, Nov 27, 2006 )
Globalization of science has been a topic of debate for some time now, so the big question is whether it can ever take place? One world of science with no country barriers! Find out in this wonderful article.

Featured Article Continued:

Whereas the European pharmaceutical market was still the world's largest market in 1990, it now only represents 30% of the world pharmaceutical market compared to 47% for the share of the North American market.

Why is that? Innovation is the lifeblood and the driving force of the pharmaceutical industry, as well as a key to any improvement in medical care. But the reality today is that Europe does not seem willing to support, foster and reward pharmaceutical innovation. Whereas the dawn of the 21st century illuminates an entirely new landscape for research in medicines, life sciences and biotechnology, where developments are providing new approaches to the conquest of many diseases, Europe is losing its attractiveness as a site for pharmaceutical research.

Despite the fact that medicines generate substantial savings, keeping employees on the job and productive in the community and the fact that pharmaceutical spending accounts for only 15% of total health expenditures, innovative medicines are too often perceived as a cost, or a threat to healthcare systems, rather than an investment and a benefit.

Cost-containment policies, focus at the beginning of the product life cycle, rather than at the end of the product life cycle like in the US. And evaluation of effectiveness is turned into a new hurdle. Furthermore, the existence of price differentials within Europe due to the different national pricing and reimbursement regulations leads to significant parallel trade flows, which benefit neither social security systems nor patients, but deprive the industry from valuable resources to fund the research and development of new products. Parallel trade was estimated to amount to Euros 4,200 million (value at ex-factory prices) in 2004.On the positive side, it should be noted that Europe now benefits from a major improvement of its regulatory framework with the adoption of the Pharmaceutical Review in 2004 This major reform of the EU’s pharmaceutical legislation strengthens public health, while supporting a competitive European pharmaceutical industry. Another important policy driver for pharmaceutical innovation is the enforcement in Europe of a strong framework for Intellectual Property Rights protection.

So what are the priorities? The way forward for Europe is to strengthen its science base and to improve the competitiveness of its research-based pharmaceutical industry by setting up a regulatory and political environment, which above all stimulates R&D and rewards innovation.

First, as part of its Research Framework Programme 7 (RFP7) the EU needs to rapidly implement the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) which is a unique pan-European public and private sector collaboration for boosting biomedical research in Europe. The IMI provides practical paths to accelerate the discovery and development of more effective innovative medicines with less side effects that reach patients faster.

Second, we must improve stakeholders’ understanding of the value of innovation for patient and society and secure sustainable funding mechanisms for innovative drugs. In the context of the High Level Pharmaceutical Forum - the current strategic policy dialogue on European competitiveness with respect to the pharmaceutical industry - EFPIA is putting forward concrete recommendations for an optimal balance between enhanced competitiveness and improved public health. While promoting best Health Technology Assessment (HTA) practices, for an objective evaluation of the real value of innovative drugs for patients and society, EFPIA also advocates that patients, well informed about available options, should be at the heart of decisions on value and access.

Third, European patients should have faster access to new innovative therapies. Today, patients across Europe are not getting speedy and equal access to innovative medicines, essentially because of delays in pricing and reimbursement decisions, which take place at national level. The time needed for setting reimbursement prices at national level must be shortened, in line with the time limits set by the Transparency Directive. In addition, co-payment models and competitive generic prices should create headroom for financing innovative medicines.

These important policy steps are needed to sustain the unique contribution, which the pharmaceutical industry can offer. In implementing new EU and national strategic agendas for health which above all stimulate R&D in Europe and reward innovation, we are confident that the research-based pharmaceutical industry will not only be able to improve healthcare in Europe, bring new innovative medicines faster to European patients. It will also contribute to the EU ‘Lisbon objective’ of economic growth, to more and better jobs, and thus guarantee high living standards for current and future generations of European citizens.

Click here to read the Efpia’s The Pharmaceutical Industry in Figures.

About European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries Associations (EFPIA)

EFPIA represents the pharmaceutical industry operating in Europe. Through its direct membership of 30 national associations and 46 leading pharmaceutical companies, EFPIA is the voice on the EU scene of 2,100 companies committed to researching, developing and bringing to patients new medicines that improve health and the quality of life around the world.

Contacts: e-mail Christophe deCallatay, Communication/PR Manager Efpia; www.efpia.org

An overview of Chemspec India 2007, by the organizers.

Chemspec India 2007 is the only trade show in India to unite domestic players with some of the leading international suppliers across the full range of fine and speciality chemicals.

Participants at the 2007 show include BASF, Lanxess, Clariant, Rhodia, Jubilant Organosys, Schenectady etc.

Chemspec India is being held in Mumbai over two days [18-19 April 2007] after the Chemical Weekly Business Outlook Conference [16-17 April 2007], ensuring high quality attendance.

In 2006, the show covered 5,000 m2 of space, attracted 291 exhibitors from 12 countries and had a total attendance of 12,600. Read more about Chemspec India 2007 here.

Chemistry World 2006 Highlights:

- The 2006 Nobel Prize in Chemistry went to ROGER D. KORNBERG for his studies of the molecular basis of eukaryotic transcription

- Top 4 drugs which lost Patent Protection in 2006:
Zoloft (Pfizer), Pravachol (BMS), Lamisil (Novartis), Zofran (GSK).

- The First Molecular Anion (hexatriyne anion or C6H¯) was identified in Space.

- Major M&A’s in 2006:

Bayer takes over Schering for about USD 19bn in Jun 2006

Merck buys Serono for USD 13bn in Sep 2006

UCB buys Schwarz Pharma for USD 5.6bn in Sep 2006

Joke:

Two hydrogen atoms bumped into each other recently.

One said: "Why do you look so sad?"

The other replied: "I lost an electron."

Concerned, One asked, "Are you sure?"

The other replied, "I'm positive."

Trivia Answer, Issue 3:

There are 1665 steps to the summit platform, of the Eiffel Tower, today.

Congratulations to our winners!
Jan Venneman, Agfa; Lee DeWitt, Synergetica

Chemistry Carol: In this Christmas spirit, we introduce to you the Chemistry Carol, to be sung in the tune of the Silent Nights Carol, Enjoy!

Silent Labs

Silent labs, difficult labs;
All with alkenes, all with bromides;
Observations of colors and smells;
Structures and patents I’ve learnt so well;
Memories of tests that have past;
Oh--Santa please give me an 'IP', fast.