Glaxo, Astra, Roche back stem cells for drug tests

By Ben Hirschler

LONDON, Oct 3 (Reuters) - Three of Europe's top drugmakers have backed a new public-private scheme to use stem cells for safety testing of experimental medicines, signalling "big pharma's" growing interest in the controversial field.

Stem Cells for Safer Medicines Ltd, a non-profit British company launched on Wednesday, will focus initially on developing better ways of testing for liver toxicity -- the biggest single cause of drug failures and withdrawals. GlaxoSmithKline (GSK.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), AstraZeneca (AZN.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and Roche (ROG.VX: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) have each paid 100,000 pounds ($200,000) to help fund the first year's work, while the British government is contributing 750,000 pounds.

Other drug firms are expected to join soon, according Philip Wright, director of science and technology at the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, the firm's chief executive.

Stem cells are the body's master cell, acting as a source for the body's cells and tissues. Embryonic stem cells are the most malleable, but their use in research is opposed by some people because it involves destruction of a human embryo.

Britain, however, has encouraged such research and science minister Ian Pearson said the new collaboration was an example of the government's commitment to the field.

By working across academic and industrial laboratories, the project aims to develop effective ways of using human embryonic stem cells to screen for potentially dangerous side effects of new drugs before they go into clinical trials.

It will not evaluate stem cells as potential treatments.