Mergers and Acquisitions

Genentech, part of the Roche Group, has entered into a definitive purchase agreement with Regor Pharmaceuticals (US) for its portfolio of next-generation cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitors, which have shown promise in the treatment of breast cancer.

Regor Pharmaceuticals, part of the Regor Therapeutics Group, uses a proprietary platform – the Computer Accelerated Rational Discovery Platform – to develop innovative and clinically differentiated medicines. It currently has over a dozen in-house discovered assets that are in preclinical and clinical development, including the acquired CDK inhibitors.

As part of the agreement, Regor will receive a cash payment of $850m upfront, but is also eligible for further cash payments based on the achievement of certain milestones. These milestones are predetermined as part of the agreement and cover developmental, regulatory and commercial criteria.

Regor will also continue to run the ongoing trials into the inhibitors, which are currently in phase 1, to completion. Genentech, however, will manage the clinical management, manufacturing and worldwide commercialisation of the therapeutics. Regor’s other portfolios – which include therapeutic areas such as oncology, metabolic diseases and autoimmunity – remain separate from this agreement and under Regor to advance.

“Genentech is well-positioned to bring these novel therapeutics to their full potential to benefit patients with breast cancer around the world,” commented Xiayang Qiu PhD, founder and CEO of Regor. “We are proud of the strong data we have generated to date. We look forward to bringing more innovative therapies to patients around the world.”

Genentech is a biotech company based in the US. Regor Therapeutics Group is a clinical-stage biotech company located in the US.