Tuesday, April 8, 2008

PerkinElmer partners with French drug discovery firm

PerkinElmer Inc., a provider of health sciences and photonics products, has struck a supply and co-marketing deal related to drug-discovery services with French life sciences firm Cerep SA, officials report.

The deal is part of PerkinElmer's strategy to expand its offerings in cellular screening and drug discovery, according to Robert Friel, president and CEO of the Waltham-based company.

The agreement calls for PerkinElmer (NYSE: PKI) to offer its clients drug-target screening and profiling services from Paris-based Cerep. Both firms are expected to market PerkinElmer's technology used in drug discovery. Financial terms of the deal weren't disclosed.

Separately, PerkinElmer this week said it launched an updated version of its "Victor" plate reader used in drug discovery and life sciences research. The new model of the bench-top instrument enables researchers to track tests of cells and enzymes as the materials are analyzed.

With 9,100 employees worldwide, PerkinElmer reported a 2007 profit of $131.7 million on revenue of $1.8 billion.