Oryzon shares fall a quarter as Roche hands back epigenetic program

21 July 2017

Barcelona, Spain-based Oryzon Genomics (BME: ORY), a biotech focused on epigenetics, has lost a quarter of its share price after Roche (ROG: SIX) handed back the rights to ORY-1001, a molecule that regulates gene expression.

The candidate was granted orphan drug status by European Medicines Agency in August 2013, shortly before Roche and Oryzon entered into a global deal to to research, develop and commercialize inhibitors of lysine specific demethylase-1.

Oryzon earned $42 million in upfront and milestone payments from the Swiss drugmaker, most of the company’s revenues, and will now have to find an alternative partner, or seek to raise funds itself.

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