Levaquin Maker Joins Sanford-Burnham Institute to Research Alzheimer's Drugs

Orlando, FLThe maker of the pneumonia drug Levaquin has teamed up with Sanford-Burnham Institute in order to explore new drugs that would treat Alzheimer's disease and certain psychiatric disorders, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals recently announced a three-year partnership with the Institute worth more than $85 million, according to the news provider.

Under the terms of the agreement, scientists from the drug company and Sanford-Burnham will team up in an effort to seek compounds that could lead to new drugs for the disorders. The agreement aims to cut the time it typically takes for biomedical research to transition into new medications, according to the news provider.

"This represents the first of what we expect to be a series of thematic collaborations that focus our tremendous scientific and translational firepower on major unmet medical problems," said Dr. John Reed, CEO of Sanford-Burnham. "Working in concert with strong partners, we can bridge the gap between early- and late-stage drug development."

According to its Web site, Sanford-Burnham employs nearly 900 scientists who strive to answer specific biological questions.