Pune / Leipzig, August 10, 2009 – Acoris Research Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Hikal Ltd, and c-LEcta, a Germany based industrial biotech company entered into a strategic partnership to develop synthetic routes for chiral compounds. The partnership combines the expertise of Acoris in Process Development and small scale manufacturing, and the unique biocatalysis technologies of c-LEcta.

Acoris Research, based at the International Biotech Park in Pune, India has a state-of-the-art contract research facility and delivers contract research and manufacturing services to innovator companies while c-LEcta, based in Leipzig, Germany is an industrial biotechnology company and holds a patent-protected biotechnology platform for developing new industrial enzymes.

Commenting on this partnership, Dr. M. Struhalla, CEO of c-LEcta said “We are delighted to partner with Acoris in India. Acoris has state-of-the-art facilities and a pool of world class scientific talent to work with us on a broad range of enzymes. c-LEcta’s proprietary screening technology allows for integration of bioconversion steps early in the route scouting process”.

Dr. R. H. Rupp, President of Acoris said “Enzymatic technologies are a valuable extension of the toolbox and innovative value creating procedures for client projects. We are glad to announce our partnership with c-LEcta. The combined synergies of our technical collaboration will further enhance our offerings and would be a significant value addition to our clients”.

About Acoris Research Ltd,

A wholly owned subsidiary of Hikal Ltd. Acoris is a state-of-the-art contract research facility situated at the International Biotech Park in Pune, India. Acoris delivers contract research and manufacturing services to innovator companies and provides customized services, from Full Time Equivalent (FTE) to Fee for Service (FfS) contracts. Acoris helps customers innovate during the early lifecycle of their products with a comprehensive suite of offerings including Route Scouting, Contract Research, Process Development, Scale up, Analytical Method Development and cGMP (kilo) Manufacturing. (www.acorisresearch.com)

About Hikal Ltd.

Hikal is a reliable long-term outsourcing partner to companies in the Pharmaceuticals, Crop protection Products, and Specialty Chemicals industry. The company has been supplying key active pharmaceutical ingredients (API’s) and intermediates, manufactured using stringent global quality standards, for its customers in the United States, Europe and Japan. Hikal’s advanced manufacturing facilities have been inspected and approved by leading global players in the Pharmaceutical industry. (www.hikal.com)

About c-LEcta:

c-LEcta, based in Leipzig, is an industrial biotechnology company and holds a patent-protected biotechnology platform for developing new industrial enzymes. The company’s work encompasses every step of the value creation process: From the discovery of enzymes within the biodiversity of nature, the development of new enzymes via protein evolution, to the implementation of efficient production processes. c-LEcta holds a range of proprietary technology platforms for the development of innovative enzymes for diverse industrial applications. c-LEcta is specialized on the development of customized biocatalysts for the synthesis of drugs and drug intermediates.

For further information please contact: -

Hikal Ltd. - Sangeeta Salian @ +91 22 2757 4276, Email – sangeeta.salian@hikal.com
CMCG India – Rupali Ghadge @ +91 22 2445 0991, Email – rupali.ghadge@cmcgindia.com
c-LEcta GmbH: Ira Kiesewetter @ +49 341 3552140, Email – ira.kiesewetter@c-LEcta.de