Roche announces CNS partnership with Synosis Therapeutics

Roche and Synosis Therapeutics have this week announced a partnership for the exploration of five drug candidates targeting the central nervous system (CNS). Synosis reports that the collaboration could result in treatments for schizophrenia, Parkinson’s, cognitive disorders, pain and drug dependency.

As part of the partnership, Synosis will acquire five compounds from Roche that had been discontinued under previous processes of reprioritisation, including four molecules in phase I that target the CNS.

Under the terms of the agreement, Roche will retain the right to opt-in to two programmes that are pre-selected, while Synosis will have the responsibility for the clinical development of the compounds for a number of indications.

Financial details of the collaboration agreement were not disclosed by the companies.

Peter Hug, global head pharma partnering at Roche, said: “By partnering with Synosis, we’re giving these potential medicines the best chance of success by creatively extending our innovation base in an important therapeutic area.”

He added that the company was excited by the collaboration and that there was a great need for novel treatments for diseases targeting the CNS.

In July, Roche entered into an agreement with Actelion for the development and promotion of that company’s S1P1 receptor agonist immunomodulator then in phase I.