COUR Pharma inks near billion dollar deal with Genentech

US privately-held biotech COUR Pharmaceuticals has entered into a strategic collaboration and licensing agreement with Roche (ROG: SIX) subsidiary Genentech for the development and commercialization of COUR’s proprietary tolerogenic nanoparticle treatments for an autoimmune disease.

“Genentech has a long history of innovation, and we are excited to collaborate on the development of disease-modifying therapies leveraging COUR’s proprietary tolerance platform for the treatment of an autoimmune disease,” said Dannielle Appelhans, president and chief executive of COUR. “We see Genentech as an ideal partner with world-class scientific expertise and together have an opportunity to build upon COUR’s clinical success to date in autoimmune diseases. Through this partnership, we believe we have the potential to have a significant impact on an important patient community,” she noted.

“We have a long and successful legacy of advancing innovative science and developing transformative medicines for people diagnosed with autoimmune diseases,” said Boris Zaïtra, head of Roche corporate business development, adding: “Collaborating with innovative partners such as COUR supports our rigorous commitment to pioneering science in pursuit of advances in research, such as novel tolerogenic nanoparticle treatments, to deliver the most impactful medicines for patients with significant unmet needs.”