It was named InVivo Blog's Deal of the Year in Exit/Financing — and for good reason. In 2009, San Francisco-based Ablexis, LLC had a new mouse technology in development but was unable to continue without capital. While an acquisition or exclusive rights did not meet Pfizer's strategic interests, Pfizer's Business Development and Venture Capital groups knew Pfizer could still benefit from the technology. So they got creative. They created a consortium with four other drug companies to provide Albexis the needed funding and, in return, each gained a nonexclusive license to the next-generation mouse, which will allow researchers to potentially discover new antibodies for new therapeutics.

Pfizer is open to all types of partnerships to bring a promising drug to market faster, even if it is outside our walls. We recently partnered with Clovis Oncology, Inc. to develop and commercialize Pfizer's Oral and IV PARP Inhibitor PF-01367338 currently in phase 1/2 development. Clovis is now responsible for the development and, if and when approved by regulatory authorities, commercialization for PF-01367338, which may provide significant benefit to patients with many tumor types as both a monotherapy and in combination with chemotherapeutic agents. Pfizer Venture Investments also made an equity investment in Clovis Oncology.

In October 2010, Pfizer transformed the collaboration model with its Centers for Therapeutic Innovation (CTI), pairing our scientists with academic medical centers (AMC) in an open innovation, biotech-like setting to accelerate drug discovery and development. Currently, there are centers in San Francisco and San Diego, California, New York, NY and Boston, Massachusetts, with academic and Pfizer teams working side-by-side to leverage the best ideas using Pfizer tools, technology and compounds library. Over 200 project proposals have come in from top universities around the world and research projects at all four sites will be underway by early 2012.