Roche signs hepatitis C drug deal

Roche has signed a new agreement to research, develop and market hepatitis C drug candidates with InterMune, a biotechnology company that specialises in researching compounds for pulmonary and hepatology purposes.

The Swiss pharmaceutical company will acquire an exclusive licence for ITMN-191, InterMune’s lead candidate for a hepatitis C treatment, in addition to other potentially valuable compounds.

ITMN-191 is set to enter phase I clinical trials, which InterMune will conduct. Afterwards, Roche will assume the lead for clinical development and commercialisation of the product.

Under the terms of the agreement, Roche will pay $60 million upfront on closing the deal, while InterMune could be due up to $470 million in milestone payments, of which $35 million could be made during the next year.

ITMN-191 profits will be split equally between the companies, should the drug make it to a stage where it can be marketed, while Roche will assume two-thirds of the global development costs.

Peter Hug, Roche’s head of global pharma partnering, remarked: “We believe that protease inhibitors may become an important new component of [hepatitis C] treatments and we look forward to working with InterMune in the development of ITMN-191 and other potential compounds that may emerge from our collaboration.”

Roche currently markets Pegasys and Roferon-A for the treatment of hepatitis B and C.