Roche terminates co-development agreement

It has been announced that, following a periodic internal review of its development programs, Roche is to end its agreement with PDL BioPharma for the joint development and commercialisation of daclizumab as a treatment for organ transplant patients on long-term maintenance therapy.

The partnership between the companies regarding this development will formally end in May 2007. PDL Biopharma is now in possession of all development and commercialisation rights for daclizumab for transplant maintenance.

Mark McDade, chief executive officer of PDL BioPharma, announced that the company would evaluate the potential for the drug to be used in transplant maintenance, while continuing existing trials of the compound in conjunction with beta-interferon as a treatment for relapsing multiple sclerosis.

“In the meantime, efforts are ongoing to evaluate partnership opportunities for this important drug in asthma.”

Roche had previously been involved in the development of daclizumab as a treatment for asthma from 2004 till the termination of that agreement in August of this year.

Last year, Roche announced that it would collaborate with BioCryst Pharmaceuticals on the development and commercialisation of that company’s BCX-4208 compound which may have the ability to modulate T-cell activity for uses in transplant maintenance and treatment of autoimmune diseases currently in phase I.