Tripos may need to reduce staff after Pfizer ends four-year, $90 million research collaboration

By E. Janene Geiss

Philadelphia, Nov. 23 - Tripos, Inc. said Wednesday that its file enrichment collaboration with Pfizer Inc. will conclude in December after four years and $90 million in payment.

Tripos officials said the company had hoped that the contract with its largest customer would be extended.

"But that was not to be," said chief financial officer Jim Rubin, reached at his St. Louis office.

Now the company may be forced to review staffing levels for its Discovery Research business, located in Cornwall, England, Rubin said. Those employees would be affected, but layoffs will "only occur if absolutely necessary," he added.

"If we don't replace the work with other opportunities, there may be an impact on the organization," he said.

The four-year project with Pfizer was for design, synthesis and purification of drug-like compounds, hit follow-up and large library production for which Tripos was paid $90 million.

The company's software business, Tripos Discovery Informatics, is not impacted and existing informatics contracts with Pfizer are unaffected, officials said.

St. Louis-based Tripos develops chemistry-research products and services for the biotechnology industry. Tripos Discovery Informatics provides software products and consulting services to develop, manage, analyze and share critical drug discovery information.

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