AstraZeneca and Dako in cancer test deal; Alcon buys eye-care product rights

Two new product licensing agreements were announced yesterday: Anglo-Swedish drug major entered a deal with Dako Denmark A/S to collaborate on companion diagnostic tests for multiple AstraZeneca oncology projects, including biologics and small molecules, in various stages of discovery and development. Also, Alcon, the eye-care giant at the heart a full takeover accord by Swiss drug major Novartis (The Pharma Letter January 4), has acquired rights to two products from Sirion Therapeutics. Financial terms of neither transaction were revealed.

Under the first, the collaboration will leverage Dako's position as a leader in cancer diagnostics and a strong partner in the development of diagnostic tests used in conjunction with drug therapies. AstraZeneca will bring its extensive experience in the development and commercialization of vital oncology products worldwide.

"We believe it is important for pharmaceutical and diagnostic companies to combine their expertise in a strong collaborative approach to enable the development of diagnostic tests for use with drug therapies. Targeted treatment with personalized medicine is the future, and the outcome of this collaboration will be beneficial not only for cancer patients, but is also a significant contributive factor in cutting health care costs," says Lars Holmkvist, chief executive of Dako.