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Dow Chemical, Oregon Firm In Research Partnership

MIDLAND -- Dow Chemical Co. and Bend, Ore.-bawesd Bend Research Inc. Thursday announced a collaboration to provide science-based spray-dried dispersion solutions and select enabling new polymers for poorly soluble oral drugs.

Dow and Bend Research will work together to provide the industry with polymers supported by complete Quality-by-Design principles and the ability to tailor materials to meet the performance needs of specific drugs. In addition, the two companies will develop and commercialize new materials for SDDs that address technology gaps in manufacturability and delivery, providing greater drug-product utility and therapeutic performance.

Dow will provide hypromellose and hypromellose acetate succinate, as well as options to tailor these materials, as well as cellulosic and noncellulosic polymers for enhanced performance.

The collaboration between Bend Research and Dow reduces drug-development risk by seamlessly combining materials development and optimization early in the formulation development process for SDDs to achieve optimal clinical outcomes and robustness in drug-product manufacturability. The collaboration will combine Dow's fundamental materials design, high-throughput screening, and pilot-plant, and commercial scale-up capabilities with Bend Research's proven SDD screening, formulation, scale-up, and technology-transfer capabilities.

For more than 35 years, Bend Research has worked with clients to create value by advancing new medicines that improve human health and to solve their most difficult scientific and technical problems. This success is based on the company's ability to develop, advance, and commercialize pharmaceutical technologies, which grow from a solid base of scientific and engineering fundamental understanding.

Bend Research provides a wide range of capabilities, including formulation and dosage-form support; assists in process development and optimization; manufactures clinical-trial quantities of drug candidates in its cGMP facilities; and advances promising drug candidates from conception through commercialization. Bend Research is a leader in novel formulations, including SDDs and hot-melt extrusions, and controlled-release, inhalation, and biotherapeutics technologies.

Bend Research has more than 300 employees based in four plants in Bend, Ore.

Dow's diversified industry-leading portfolio of specialty chemical, advanced materials, agrosciences and plastics businesses delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to customers in approximately 160 countries and in high growth sectors such as electronics, water, energy, coatings and agriculture. In 2011, Dow had annual sales of $60 billion and employed approximately 52,000 people worldwide. The Company's more than 5,000 products are manufactured at 197 sites in 36 countries across the globe.

More at www.dow.com.

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