Roche
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To protect the central nervous system, the blood-brain barrier bars entry to around 98% of molecules—but approaches like Roche’s trontinemab could spell new hope in Alzheimer’s and beyond.
The Swiss drugmaker gains rights to RVT-3101 in the U.S. and Japan. Telavant was formed in late 2022 by Roivant and Pfizer, which had a 25% stake in the venture and retains rights to the antibody in other countries.
While Merck lost out to Pfizer earlier this year in snapping up Seagen, this week the company closed a deal worth a potential $22 billion with Daiichi Sankyo—further evidence of the industry’s insatiable appetite for ADC technology.
The contracting COVID-19 market has led to lower third-quarter sales for the Swiss drugmaker, which made the decision to eliminate four clinical programs following underwhelming readouts.
The deal with PTC Therapeutics increases Royalty Pharma’s stake to 13% of total royalties garnered by Evrysdi, the blockbuster drug for spinal muscular atrophy licensed and marketed by Roche.
Early stage ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer patients treated with Roche’s Alecensa saw an “unprecedented” 76% drop in the risk of recurrence or death, the company announced Wednesday.
The subcutaneous version of its blockbuster multiple sclerosis drug notched a victory in a key late-stage study. Roche will submit the OCARINA II data to global health authorities in the coming months.
The companies, which have been partners for a decade on various research programs, are pooling their efforts in two early-stage programs for Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s diseases using RNA-targeting medicines.
A U.S. federal court upheld a prior ruling in favor of Roche’s Genentech, finding that its blockbuster hemophilia treatment Hemlibra did not infringe on patent protections held by Takeda’s Baxalta.
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