"For the past 4 years I tried to gain access to a Global Pharma company that consumes a product we've made for several years. My phone calls and e-mails to our limited contacts within the company went unanswered. Using SmartChem, I obtained the email contact for a key person, I had an answer the same day and a sale about a week later! I am very satisfied with SmartChem as it continues to enhance my business opportunities."

- Mr. Lee DeWitt, Vice President Business Development at Synergetica, Inc.

First RouteDesign Case Study Launched!

One of the top Pharmaceutical companies in the world faced the following issues with their target NCE:

All routes designed in-house for the target NCE used an intermediate which was not eco friendly leading to many environmental issues

Yields were very poor

Scalability was questionable for all routes designed in-house

Starting Materials had none or very few suppliers.

The company felt that the route options they had would not lead to a viable business proposition for the molecule.

Current Status: The Company used ROW2's RouteDesign service and successfully reduced to practice 2 routes suggested by the ROW2 team as part of a RouteDesign project.

To get a copy of this case study, write to us here

Welcome to CI2E Quarterly, Italy special! We are delighted to bring to you the first 2006 issue of this newsletter with a new attractive look. CI2E Quarterly is being shared with over 5000 "select" industry professionals in the life science and chemical industries and offers a quality publication that you will crave to read!

Developed by ROW2 Technologies, a company with expertise in synthetic organic chemistry and knowledge on the global chemical industry, CI2E Quarterly provides:

• News about ROW2 and its offerings of interest to you.
  
• Key articles and information on the pharmaceutical/chemical industries, written by renowned thought leaders.
  
• "My Forum", a unique opportunity to advertise your company's strengths, capabilities, achievements, etc. to ROW2's global customers and readers.
  
• Entertainment through interesting facts and fun trivia to make you laugh and relax a little during your busy day.
  

In this issue:

• ROW2 World: Updates on our company & offerings
• Article: Investment opportunities in Italy's Life Science Industry
• Links: to various other articles and sites of interest
• MyForum: AMI Drugs & Specialty Chemicals Inc.
• Humour: Italy Special - Read on for your chance to win a Prize…

ROW2 World - This Quarter's Highlights:

ROW2 News

• Event: ROW2 exhibited at Informex'06 in Orlando, Florida, USA on Feb 14-17, 2006 and officially launched two key enhancements to its business expansion tool SmartChem. The launch ceremony was presided by Mr. Robert Byron, Business Development Manager at Tosoh USA, Inc. Attendees not only learnt about new Smartchem enhancements but also enjoyed an exciting raffle organized during the launch ceremony and won exciting prizes.
  
  During a press conference at Informex'06, ROW2 also launched its new service Route2Practice. Route2Pratice is a fully integrated & customized service that provides: 1) Novel & Commercially scalable; 2) Laboratory-proven; & 3) Patentable route(s) to a company's target compound. To learn more about this service please write to us.
  
  ROW2's products and services attracted many visitors to the booth who learned about it's offerings in detail.
  
  ROW2 attended ACS ProSpectives on March 5-7, 2006 in Florida, USA.
  
  
• Upcoming events: ROW2 will be attending the Organic Process Research & Development Conference on April 4-6 in Nice, France, ChemSpec India on April 3-6 in Mumbai, India and CPHI Japan on April 24-26, in Tokyo, Japan.
  
  
• Our Customers: ROW2 is proud to announce that in 2005, it crossed the landmark of servicing more than 600 customers from USA, Canada, Europe and India with its various offerings. We wish to thank all our customers for their trust and support. Very soon we will be having Thanks Giving Celebration for our customers!
  
  
• New appointments to ROW2's leadership team: On February 1st ROW2 Technologies announced two new appointments. Mr. Srinivasan "Srini" Gopalan assumed the position of Chief Executive Officer of ROW2 Technologies (India) Pvt. Ltd., while Dr. Dhananjay Rane has been named to the position of Executive Director - Process Chemistry Solutions.

SmartChem News

SmartChem is one of the most widely accepted information software developed by ROW2. For 2006, our focus will be SmartChem enhancements and value addition for all our esteemed customers through various activities designed to benefit their business.

"2006 Activity Plan" at a glance:

• Enhanced SmartChem with Rapid Fire tool: This time and effort saving tool in SmartChem will ensure faster reach of your targeted suppliers.
  
• ROW2 Event Guide: Our online event guide will help you identify your target customers attending major international events and set meetings with them.
  
• Corporate dossier: Initiative to help you select an outsourcing partner in India by providing you with detailed company information. (SmartChem subscribers only)
  
• Referral program: By participating in our Win-Win Referral Program, you can win great rewards for you and your organization.
  
• ROW2 Ad World: An advertising program, which gives you an opportunity to be visible to the most qualified target audience from the global chemical and life science industries through various advertising options. (SmartChem subscribers will be given preference)
  
• Exciting Contests: Our contests will give SmartChem subscribers the chance to win great prizes!!!
  

RouteDesign News

In 2005, our RouteDesign service has received good appreciation from the Process Research fraternity within top life science and chemical companies. Our customers say that RouteDesign provided them with new synthesis ideas for their target compounds that were not considered before by their companies. ROW2 is now in the process of establishing strategic alliances/partnerships with large companies.

In 2006, in addition to enhancing our services, we will be offering valuable information related to process chemistry and industry challenges to our RouteDesign customers through various initiatives listed below:

• Web seminar: This web event will address a topic related to Process Research and is scheduled for May 2006. We are looking for speakers who are willing to share their experience in Process Research and Development. Interested speakers, please contact us here with a brief abstract of your presentation topic.
  
• ROW2 Event Alerts: Our online Event Alerts will help you plan well in advance for major international events and conferences. These alerts will also tell you about Early Bird Discounts available.
• World of Chemistry: We will be sending our customers a series of articles written by Industry Experts on topics related to process chemistry and industry challenges.
• Industry Mirror: We will be conducting in-depth surveys on Business Development, Procurement and Process Chemistry related topics. Key results of these surveys will be shared with our customers.

Details for each of the above-mentioned activities will be sent through a separate communication to all our customers.

Featured Article

We thank all of you, for your overwhelming response to our earlier articles in this space. The article on "Current Trends in RouteDesign and Selection" written by ROW2 Team based on a survery conducted, will soon be published in Speciality Chemicals Magazine.

Italy's Emergence in Life Sciences Achieves Critical Mass

Article by InvestInItaly - a joint project between Sviluppo Italia (the National Agency for Enterprise and Inward Investment Development) and the Italian Trade Commission.

Italy's Life Sciences industry is becoming ever more appealing for multinational companies seeking to pursue biotechnology and pharmaceutical research. The sector is spurred on by the strong interaction between the research and business worlds, a vibrant medical and hospital system, the leading-edge research produced by world-class scientists as well as renewed government support.

Italy's upsurge in Life Sciences is also proved by a strong performance in the product pipeline with 21 drugs in clinical trials (particularly in Oncology and Neurosciences), ranking ahead of major European countries like France, Germany and Sweden, in terms of pipeline products per biotech company.

To read the full article click here

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!

Custom Chemicals
Published in: C&E News, Feb 13, 2006 issue

This article gives insights on how custom manufacturing companies are struggling to differentiate themselves from their competition. The article also talks about strategies used by various companies worldwide to sustain this competition.

The Best-Selling Drugs In America
Published in: Forbes.com, Feb 27, 2006 issue

Read this article to learn about the Best-Selling Drugs In America and America's Fastest-Growing Medicines.

Drug Majors Push Into Biotechnology
Published in: C&E News, Jan 9, 2006 issue

Interesting article outlines the trend in the pharma industry to pursue deals with the biotech companies to advance their pipeline.

Featured Article Cont'd.

Italy's Emergence in Life Sciences Achieves Critical Mass

Performance Index of Biotech Companies
(Number of products/Number of companies)

Source: InvestInItaly based on NES, Assobiotec – 2005

Italy is rapidly becoming a breeding ground for new, innovative companies such as Layline Genomics (a university spin-off), Axxam (a Bayer spin-off) and Bioxell (a Roche spin-off). It is also becoming a preferred destination for many of the largest multinationals in the life sciences industry including Eli Lilly, Serono, Novartis and Chiltern. They are drawn to Italy for many reasons, including some of the lowest labor and overall business costs in the developed world, as well as what is commonly called "La Vita Bella" - Italy's unique and superior quality of life.

Government Reforms and Business Climate

The Italian government has demonstrated its commitment to fostering growth in the life sciences sector through a wide range of reforms and initiatives. Fundamental changes to the tax system and new flexible rules for hiring freelance employees are among the improvements that have energized Italy's R&D business environment. While slower than some of its neighbors in launching such reforms, Italy is quickly making up for lost time by reducing bureaucracy and helping companies compete head-on in the new healthcare economy. Indeed ,the government has targeted the life sciences sector in general, and biotechnology in particular, as a strategic priority in its latest National Research Plan (Piano Nazionale della Ricerca).

Foreign companies investing in life sciences ventures now enjoy significant tax breaks, favorable intellectual proper ty laws, streamlined procedures for clinical trials, low overall business costs and a range of other incentives, with no restrictions on foreign ownership.

The government's new approach is mirrored by Italian society in general, which is demonstrating a groundswell of support for the life sciences industry. Italians are, by their very nature, tech savvy and open to new ideas. Their confidence in the possibilities of life sciences research and innovation is confirmed by a recent survey by the nonprofit organization Observa, which found that the vast majority of Italians have an extremely high regard for the potential of biotechnology in applications ranging from new drug development to protecting the environment

Intellectual property

Foreign companies investing in the Italian market can rely on the same legal protection of intellectual property rights (IPR) granted to Italian companies. These rights extend to all the key areas - patents, trademarks, copyright, and designs - that companies are used to enjoying in their home countries.

The foundations of this legal certainty rest on Italy's membership of and respect for all the leading international agreements on IPR.

As a founder member of the European Union, Italy is at the forefront of European IPR developments and has some of the most modern and up-to-date intellectual property practices in the world.

Skilled and flexible Workforce

Italy's human capital is one of its foremost attractions for life sciences investors.

Its R&D professionals - 6,000 researchers employed by businesses, a pool of 20,000 university researchers, 200,000 students and 35,000 graduates annually in Biotechnology, Pharmacy and Medicine - are extremely productive, with creativity second to no competitor country worldwide. Indeed, Italy ranks top in Europe for patent productivity and impact rate of publications.

A survey by AT Kearney & Evidenze found that foreign companies employing Italian workers are particularly impressed with their high productivity, flexibility, creativity and genuine company loyalty.

And the cost for skilled labor in Italy is about one-quarter to one-half the cost in the US, with far lower employee turnover. The exceptional value presented by these workers has also been enhanced with the Italian government's recent overhaul of its labor law, which now facilitates more freelance, temp and other types of flexible work arrangements performed by independent contractors. According to a recent KPMG study, the cost of setting up a biotech R&D center in Italy is one of the lowest among major industrialized nations, with cost savings for qualified personnel of between 15% and 50% relative to the US, UK, France and Germany.

New Bussiness Opportunities

Life sciences investors from around the world are taking advantage of Italy's outstanding mix of research, infrastructure, innovation and government support - not to mention some of the lowest labor and overall business costs in the developed world.

In addition, they are benefiting from Italy's truly unique quality of life, which is simply hard to beat. Its natural beauty, combined with a culture rich in history and the arts, makes it a great place to live and do business.

For more information, including a free customized evaluation of how investing in Italy can help your business, please contact InvestInItaly.

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About InvestInItaly

InvestInItaly, investors' first port of call

InvestInItaly is the Italian organization for investment promotion created by Sviluppo Italia - the National Agency for Enterprise and Inward Investment Development, and the Italian Trade Commission - the Government Agency, which promotes the internationalization of Italian companies. Its mission is to offer a single reference point to foreign investors, with a special commitment on Life Sciences. Services include: identifying and facilitating relevant partnering opportunities, location scouting, business set up support, incentive provision, assistance with Public Administration and after care.

Contacts: info@investinitaly.com - www.investinitaly.com - www.italianbiotech.com

To sponsor future newsletters, write to us

Mr. Girish Chovatia, President, Ami Group speaks about the strengths and offerings of his organization.

Established in 1997, our company specializes in piperazines derivatives, naphthalene derivatives, chloroethylamine derivatives, ortho esters derivatives, catechol / anisole derivatives, benzaldehyde derivatives, coumarin derivatives, acetal derivatives, piperidine derivatives and malonate derivative.

With our commitment to "Total Quality Management" all our production facilities are ISO 9001:2000, ISO 14001:2004, OHASH 18001:1999 certified.

Ami Group specializes in developing new patent non-infringing processes and is capable of carrying out a variety of reactions ranging from Fridel-Crafts alkylation to Grignard reaction, Willgerodt reaction, oxidation, reduction cynation and many more!

We are proud to say that we cater to companies from Europe (Germany, Italy, France, Switzerland, UK etc.), USA and Asia with our fine, specialty chemicals and pharmaceutical intermediates.

Our technical expertise, well-equipped production facilities and research labs, scale up facility, stringent quality policy and confidentiality norms makes us the right outsourcing partner.

To know more about Ami Group click here

Fun Trivia:

WIN A PRIZE!

First 10 people to reply correctly to the trivia below will win a prize!

What was Italy's currency before adopting the euro?

Send us your answer here.

Interesting Facts about Italy:

1) The thermometer is an Italian invention. Italy's contribution to science also includes the barometer, electric battery, nitroglycerin, and wireless telegraphy.

2) The city of Naples gave birth to the pizza and the ice cream cone is an Italian invention

3) The piano hails from Italy.

4) The automobile, Fiat, is one of Italy's greatest products.

To know more Interesting Facts about Italy write to us here