What is Scripps relationship with Novartis?
In 1994, Scripps signed a controversial 10-year agreement with the Swiss drugmaker, giving Novartis the right to license up to 47 percent of Scripps’ inventions in return for $200-million or $20-million per year. Novartis also has built a multimillion-dollar, high-speed drug screening facility near Scripps’ La Jolla, Calif., campus; it is headed by a Scripps scientist. Novartis’ role in Scripps Florida is reportedly under discussion. Would Scripps Florida be a clone of its California operation? Scripps president Richard Lerner has said the Florida facility would focus on drug discovery, rather than pure scientific research, which is the focus of the California campus. The Florida operation would include high-speed drug screening equipment similar to that owned by Novartis in La Jolla. How will Scripps work with Florida universities? Scripps Florida will create a fully staffed, fully equipped drug design port that would allow open access for qualified researchers in Florida. These desig
