Translation
Feb 19, 2010
February 19, 2010 (Tokyo) - Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. [Head Office: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President: Osamu Nagayama (hereafter, “Chugai”)] has entered into a license agreement with F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Ltd [Head Office: Basel, Switzerland / CEO: Severin Schwan (hereafter, “Roche”)] for the hedgehog pathway inhibitor “RG3616,” which is currently in clinical development outside of Japan for advanced basal cell carcinoma, metastatic colorectal cancer and advanced ovarian cancer by Roche and Genentech Inc. [California, U.S.A. / CEO: Ian T. Clark (hereafter, “Genentech”)]. Under the agreement, Chugai obtains exclusive rights for the development and sales of “RG3616” in Japan, and makes an upfront fee and milestone payments to Roche.
Chugai plans to start a phase I clinical trial in Japan in the second half of 2010, and to develop the drug in Japan for colorectal cancer and ovarian cancer. Further development will be considered in accordance with the progress and results of the clinical trials at Roche and Genentech.
To date, Chugai has made contributions to healthcare through the launches of innovative anti-cancer treatments. With the addition of the hedgehog pathway inhibitor “RG3616,” a first-in-class compound, to the product portfolio, Chugai’s strength as a leading pharmaceutical company in the area of oncology will be enhanced, enabling Chugai to make greater contributions to the progress of cancer treatment.
Chugai is committed to continue with its efforts to meet the unmet medical needs by effectively utilizing the research and development resources of Roche and Genentech to create innovative new drugs.
[Reference]
About RG3616
RG3616 is an oral anti-cancer drug inhibiting the hedgehog pathway, which is being developed by Genentech under a collaboration agreement with Curis, Inc. [Massachusetts, U.S.A. / President and CEO: Daniel R. Passeri] (Curis’ code: GDC-0449). The hedgehog pathway has been identified as an important factor involved in the morphogenesis in the fetal period, and subsequent studies have gradually revealed that it also plays a role in the occurrence and progression of various types of cancers. RG3616 is a drug that inhibits the growth of cancer cells by binding to the transmembrane proteins present on the cell membrane surface, and inhibiting the intracellular signal transduction. It is expected to be a first-in-class drug having a new mode of action, which cannot be found in existing anti-cancer drugs.
About Curis, Inc.
Curis is a drug development company that is committed to leveraging its innovative signaling pathway drug technologies to seek to create new targeted small molecule drug candidates for cancer. In expanding its drug development efforts in the field of cancer through its proprietary targeted cancer programs, Curis is building upon its previous experiences in targeting signaling pathways for the development of next generation targeted cancer therapies. For more information, visit Curis' website at www.curis.com.
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