Roche and Lead Pharma to Collaborate on Oral Small Molecule Development

Roche and Lead Pharma, a Netherlands-based clinical-stage pharmaceutical company, announced on Nov. 16, 2020 that they are entering into a collaboration and license agreement dedicated to the development of oral small molecules to treat immune-mediated diseases.

Through the agreement, Lead Pharma will obtain an upfront payment of EUR 10 million (USD$11.83 million) and will have the potential to receive research funding and preclinical milestone payments, a Lead Pharma press release said. Additionally, total potential payments regarding the agreement, including research, development, regulatory, and sales milestones, may add up to a total of EUR 260 million (USD$307 million), plus royalties on worldwide sales.

The companies will work together on research activities through to the selection of a preclinical candidate, after which Roche will handle further development and global commercialization, the press release said.

“Our ambition is to develop life-changing treatments for patients. We are delighted to team up with Roche to pursue this goal,” said Frans van den Berg, CEO of Lead Pharma, in the press release. “Partnering is a key element of our strategy; this collaboration is yet another validation of the value of Lead Pharma’s innovation power.”

“We are committed to advancing innovative science and transformative medicines for people affected by different immune mediated diseases,” added James Sabry, global head, Roche Pharma Partnering, in the press release. “We are looking forward to further building on our expertise in this field and collaborating with Lead Pharma, aiming to make a difference for those patients.”

Source: Lead Pharma​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​