AsianScientist (Apr. 29, 2013) – Basel, Switzerland-based Roche and China’s Ascletis have entered into a collaboration to develop and commercialize Roche’s investigational drug danoprevir in China for the treatment of Hepatitis C virus (HCV).
It is estimated that over ten million patients in China are chronically infected with HCV. The collaboration aims to address this serious public health problem and to provide an effective new treatment option for Chinese patients with HCV.
The majority of these infections are genotype 1b, which has proven highly responsive to danoprevir, an investigational protease inhibitor from Roche that is active against HCV genotypes 1 and 4.
Under the terms of the agreement, Ascletis will fund and be responsible for the development, regulatory affairs, and manufacturing of danoprevir in greater China, including Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau and receive payments upon reaching certain development and commercial milestones from Roche. Ascletis and Roche will collaborate for the clinical development and the commercialization. The contract also involves royalties.
Commenting on the agreement, Luke Miels, Head of Roche Pharmaceuticals Asia Pacific, said: “Our strategy is based on bringing innovative, differentiated medicines to patients. The decision to develop danoprevir based on its promising profile in HCV Genotype 1b, and to do this via collaboration with our partner Ascletis represents another example of this strategy in action.”
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Source: Roche.
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