Genentech, GlycArt, a company wholly-owned by Roche, and Roche, have entered into a collaboration agreement, including a licence from GlycArt to Genentech, for the joint development and commercialization of GlycArt’s GA101 molecule
Schlieren/Basel, Switzerland and South San Francisco, CA, USA | October 3, 2008 | Genentech, Inc. (NYSE: DNA), GlycArt, a company wholly-owned by Roche, and Roche (SWX: ROG) have entered into a collaboration agreement, including a licence from GlycArt to Genentech, for the joint development and commercialization of GlycArt’s GA101 molecule. The companies will be developing GA101, a humanized anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody engineered to increase both direct- and immune-mediated target cell death, for the potential treatment of hematological malignancies and other oncology-related B-cell disorders such as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Pablo Umaña, Chief Scientific Officer and co-founder of GlycArt said: “With its unique mode of action, we believe GA101 has the potential to extend the therapeutic benefit over current standards of care, including treatment for patients who do not respond to current therapies.”
“This collaboration with GlycArt and Roche for the GA101 molecule complements our existing research program and our focus on innovative compounds, “said Hal Barron, M.D., Genentech Senior Vice President, development and chief medical officer. “We are pleased that through this program we may have the potential to offer a new option to treat patients with hematological malignancies.”
William M. Burns, CEO of Roche’s Pharmaceutical Division, commented “The exciting work in monoclonal antibody engineering carried out by our scientists at GlycArt is now moving through Roche Group companies to the next stage in developing clinically differentiated treatments.”
In association with this agreement, Genentech, Roche and GlycArt will share certain development costs and Genentech will record $105 million in research and development expense in its third quarter 2008 results. Genentech will receive commercialization rights in the United States.
GA101 is currently in Phase I/II clinical trials for CD20-positive B-cell malignancies, such as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). GlycArt and Roche plan to provide an update on phase I data for GA101 at the American Society of Hematology meeting in December 2008.
About Genentech
Founded more than 30 years ago, Genentech is a leading biotechnology company that discovers, develops, manufactures and commercializes medicines to treat patients with significant unmet medical needs. The company has headquarters in South San Francisco, California and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DNA. For additional information about the company, please visit http://www.gene.com.
About GlycArt
GlycArt, a Swiss biotechnology company owned by Roche, is focused on antibody engineering to generate new, more efficacious drug candidates that are jointly developed with Roche. GlycArt is located in Schlieren, was founded in 2000 as a spin-off of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH)-Zurich, and was acquired by Roche in 2005.
About Roche
Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is one of the world’s leading research-focused healthcare groups in the fields of pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. As the world’s biggest biotech company and an innovator of products and services for the early detection, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases, the Group contributes on a broad range of fronts to improving people’s health and quality of life. Roche is the world leader in in-vitro diagnostics and drugs for cancer and transplantation, and is a market leader in virology. It is also active in other major therapeutic areas such as autoimmune diseases, inflammatory and metabolic disorders and diseases of the central nervous system. In 2007 sales by the Pharmaceuticals Division totalled 36.8 billion Swiss francs, and the Diagnostics Division posted sales of 9.3 billion francs. Roche has R&D agreements and strategic alliances with numerous partners, including majority ownership interests in Genentech and Chugai, and invested over 8 billion Swiss francs in R&D in 2007. Worldwide, the Group employs about 80,000 people. Additional information is available on the Internet at www.roche.com.
SOURCE: Roche
Post Views: 56
Genentech, GlycArt, a company wholly-owned by Roche, and Roche, have entered into a collaboration agreement, including a licence from GlycArt to Genentech, for the joint development and commercialization of GlycArt’s GA101 molecule
Schlieren/Basel, Switzerland and South San Francisco, CA, USA | October 3, 2008 | Genentech, Inc. (NYSE: DNA), GlycArt, a company wholly-owned by Roche, and Roche (SWX: ROG) have entered into a collaboration agreement, including a licence from GlycArt to Genentech, for the joint development and commercialization of GlycArt’s GA101 molecule. The companies will be developing GA101, a humanized anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody engineered to increase both direct- and immune-mediated target cell death, for the potential treatment of hematological malignancies and other oncology-related B-cell disorders such as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Pablo Umaña, Chief Scientific Officer and co-founder of GlycArt said: “With its unique mode of action, we believe GA101 has the potential to extend the therapeutic benefit over current standards of care, including treatment for patients who do not respond to current therapies.”
“This collaboration with GlycArt and Roche for the GA101 molecule complements our existing research program and our focus on innovative compounds, “said Hal Barron, M.D., Genentech Senior Vice President, development and chief medical officer. “We are pleased that through this program we may have the potential to offer a new option to treat patients with hematological malignancies.”
William M. Burns, CEO of Roche’s Pharmaceutical Division, commented “The exciting work in monoclonal antibody engineering carried out by our scientists at GlycArt is now moving through Roche Group companies to the next stage in developing clinically differentiated treatments.”
In association with this agreement, Genentech, Roche and GlycArt will share certain development costs and Genentech will record $105 million in research and development expense in its third quarter 2008 results. Genentech will receive commercialization rights in the United States.
GA101 is currently in Phase I/II clinical trials for CD20-positive B-cell malignancies, such as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). GlycArt and Roche plan to provide an update on phase I data for GA101 at the American Society of Hematology meeting in December 2008.
About Genentech
Founded more than 30 years ago, Genentech is a leading biotechnology company that discovers, develops, manufactures and commercializes medicines to treat patients with significant unmet medical needs. The company has headquarters in South San Francisco, California and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DNA. For additional information about the company, please visit http://www.gene.com.
About GlycArt
GlycArt, a Swiss biotechnology company owned by Roche, is focused on antibody engineering to generate new, more efficacious drug candidates that are jointly developed with Roche. GlycArt is located in Schlieren, was founded in 2000 as a spin-off of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH)-Zurich, and was acquired by Roche in 2005.
About Roche
Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is one of the world’s leading research-focused healthcare groups in the fields of pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. As the world’s biggest biotech company and an innovator of products and services for the early detection, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases, the Group contributes on a broad range of fronts to improving people’s health and quality of life. Roche is the world leader in in-vitro diagnostics and drugs for cancer and transplantation, and is a market leader in virology. It is also active in other major therapeutic areas such as autoimmune diseases, inflammatory and metabolic disorders and diseases of the central nervous system. In 2007 sales by the Pharmaceuticals Division totalled 36.8 billion Swiss francs, and the Diagnostics Division posted sales of 9.3 billion francs. Roche has R&D agreements and strategic alliances with numerous partners, including majority ownership interests in Genentech and Chugai, and invested over 8 billion Swiss francs in R&D in 2007. Worldwide, the Group employs about 80,000 people. Additional information is available on the Internet at www.roche.com.
SOURCE: Roche
Post Views: 56
