Bristol Myers Squibb, Syngene extend strategic collaboration through 2035

Syngene International, a global contract research, development, and manufacturing organization (CRDMO) headquartered in Bengaluru, India, has extended its long-standing strategic collaboration with Bristol Myers Squibb through 2035, expanding the scope of integrated services supporting drug development from discovery through commercialization.

Under the extended agreement, Syngene said it will continue to provide integrated capabilities spanning discovery research, translational sciences, pharmaceutical development, manufacturing, clinical trials, as well as data and information technology services. The expanded scope is intended to enable seamless progression of programs across the development lifecycle, according to the company.

Peter Bains, managing director and CEO of Syngene International, said in a statement the extended agreement reflects a long-term planning horizon that allows both companies to invest in new capabilities and infrastructure over the next decade.

The collaboration began in 1998 and led to the establishment of the Biocon Bristol Myers Squibb Research and Development Center (BBRC) in India, which Syngene said was fully commissioned in 2009 as its first dedicated R&D center. The facility has since grown into a major strategic research site supporting integrated capabilities including target identification, lead discovery and optimization, pharmaceutical development, molecular and cell biology, protein sciences, assay biology, and clinical biomarkers.

The center currently employs about 700 scientists working as an extension of Bristol Myers Squibb’s global research organization, supporting discovery and preclinical development programs across therapeutic areas including cardiovascular disease, fibrosis, immunology, and oncology. According to the company, the site has contributed to advancing compounds from early discovery to first-in-human studies while helping reduce development timelines and costs.

The extended collaboration comes as Syngene continues to expand its manufacturing and development infrastructure. In October 2025, the company announced plans to add a GMP bioconjugation suite at its commercial biologics facility in Bengaluru to support antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) manufacturing. The OEB-5 rated suite is designed to enable integrated ADC services from discovery through GMP manufacturing.