Roche and Chiasma Sign $585 Million Deal
Roche has teamed up with Chiasma to develop and market Octreolin, Chiasma’s investigational treatment for growth hormone disorders.
Octreolin is oral form of the peptide octreotide, a somatostatin analogue which is currently only commercially available by injection and is marketed by Novartis as Sandostatin. The drug is currently in a Phase III clinical trial for acromegaly, a disorder that occurs when a person’s pituitary gland produces excessive growth hormone.
Under the terms of the collaboration, Roche’s Genentech unit will pay upfront fees of $65 million, and additional milestones of up to $530 million, plus double-digit royalties on net sales of Octreolin.
Chiasma will continue development through completion of the Phase III trial. The drug will later be studied for neuroendocrine tumours.
Hal Barron, Roche’s chief medical officer, commented that, if approved, the treatment would be an important alternative for patients with acromegaly, as the drug “avoids the painful injections of current treatment options.”
Fredric Price, Chiasma’s chief executive, added that Roche are “an ideal collaboration partner that has the right development and commercial resources in the areas of endocrinology and oncology to support Octreolin.”
Links:
www.roche.com
www.chiasmapharma.com
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