Basel and Zurich, Switzerland - 21 September, 2004 -- Roche and GLYCART biotechnology today announced an agreement to discover next-generation
therapeutic antibodies using GlycoMAb(TM) technology. Roche will have the option to develop and
market worldwide all antibodies generated by GLYCART from an undisclosed product candidate.
GLYCART will receive an upfront fee, research funding, milestone payments and royalties on
product sales.
“We have rapidly generated GlycoMAb(TM) versions of Roche’s antibody with dramatically
enhanced potency, and we are pleased that after this initial technology evaluation, Roche has
decided to license GlycoMAb(TM),” said Pablo Umaña, PhD, CSO of GLYCART. Joël Jean-Mairet,
PhD, CEO of GLYCART, added, “The significance of bringing our technology to a global
antibody player such as Roche cannot be underestimated. Clearly, this collaboration will be
invaluable to GLYCART in continuing to forge partnerships with the leading antibody companies.”
“In the first quarter of this year, 49 percent of Roche’s sales came from biotechnology products,”
explained Peter Hug, Roche’s Global Head of Pharma Partnering. “To maintain and expand our
leadership in the antibody market, and in disease areas such as oncology, Roche will continue to
partner with excellent antibody companies such as GLYCART.”
About GLYCART
GLYCART is a privately held Swiss biotechnology company focussed on the development and
commercialization of a new generation of antibody products based on its proprietary GlycoMAb(TM)
technology. GLYCART is developing its own GlycoMAb(TM)-based antibody portfolio by inlicensing
and acquiring antibodies at early stages of development and applying GlycoMAb(TM) to
F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd CH-4070 Basel Roche Pharma Partnering
Tel.: +41 61 688 9358
http://www.roche.com
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them. GLYCART’s initial focus will be next-generation antibody therapeutics against wellcharacterized
and clinically validated targets. In such partnership scenarios, GLYCART is
conducting preclinical and early clinical development studies, while actively seeking
pharmaceutical and biotech partners to complete clinical development and commercialization.
Taking advantage of its broad technology platform beyond GlycoMAb(TM) into antibody
humanization, expression and screening, GLYCART is establishing collaborations and partnerships
with biotech and pharmaceutical companies to enhance the efficacy and utility of their antibody
drug candidates. GLYCART was founded in 2000 as a spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of
Technology (ETH) at Zürich, and is located in Zürich-Schlieren.
About GlycoMAb(TM):
GlycoMAb is a fully developed technology platform that efficiently increases the specific
biological activity of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies for target cell ablation. It is based on an
active modulation of antibody glycosylation during production leading to antibody products with
increased ADCC (antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity). A high relevance for therapeutic
efficacy, industrial scale applicability, broad patent protection and an extensive body of proof
(including external validation) are the distinct hallmarks of this technology.
About Roche as a Partner
Roche is a valued partner to over 50 companies worldwide. During 2003, Roche entered into 20
alliances in discovery, early research and technology, 11 of which extended or expanded existing
relationships. Roche’s alliance strategy is to enable our partners to grow through a flexible and
collaborative approach.
About Roche
Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is one of the world’s leading innovation-driven
healthcare groups. Its core businesses are pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. As a supplier of
products and services for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease, the Group contributes
on a broad range of fronts to improving people’s health and quality of life. Roche is number one in
the global diagnostics market, the leading supplier of pharmaceuticals for cancer and
transplantation and a market leader in virology. In 2003 prescription drug sales by the
Pharmaceuticals Division totalled 19.8 billion Swiss francs, while the Diagnostics Division posted
sales of 7.4 billion Swiss francs. Roche employs roughly 65,000 people in 150 countries and has
alliances and R&D agreements with numerous partners, including majority ownership interests in
Genentech and Chugai.
Contacts:
Roche- Europe
Sabrina Oei
Pharma Partnering
Tel: +41 61 688 9358
sabrina.oei@roche.com
GLYCART biotechnology AG
Joël Jean-Mairet, PhD
Chief Executive Officer
Tel: +41 1 755 6167
Fax: +41 1 755 6160
joel.jean-mairet@glycart.com
Website: www.glycart.com