Roche licenses new antibody technology from Eleven Biotherapeutics

Roche has agreed an exclusive worldwide licensing deal to develop and commercialise a new humanised monoclonal antibody from Eleven Biotherapeutics.

The agent works by potently binding interleukin-6 (IL-6) and inhibiting all known forms of IL-6 cytokine signaling. It is currently in development for the treatment of a number of ocular diseases.

Roche's deal encompasses EBI-031 and all other IL-6 antagonist antibody technology owned by Eleven, with the latter receiving up to $30 million (23.01 million pounds) in payments from Roche, including $7.5 million upfront and $22.5 million upon its US investigational new drug application becoming effective.

Eleven could also receive up to an additional $240 million upon the achievement of certain future regulatory, development and commercialisation milestones.

Dr Abbie Celniker, president and chief executive officer of Eleven Biotherapeutics, said: "We look forward to the future clinical advancement of EBI-031 by Roche as they explore its potential use for ocular diseases, including diabetic macular oedema."

Roche's pharmaceuticals division saw a year-on-year sales improvement of four percent in the first half of 2016, driven by its oncology and immunology medicines.

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