Licensing deals: Debiopharm/Novartis; Teva/Active Biotech; Qiagen on biomarker; Merck & Co/AnaptysBio; and Novavax/ROVI accord dropped

Switzerland's Debiopharm Group has granted an exclusive, worldwide (excluding Japan) licence to Swiss drug major Novartis for the development, manufacture and commercialization of Debio 025 (alisporivir), a selective, first-in-class cyclophilin (Cyp) inhibitor with a potent anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) effect. The product is currently in Phase IIb clinical development for the treatment of hepatitis C.

Under the terms of the agreement, Novartis will pay Debiopharm an upfront, development and sales milestones as well as royalties. This transaction, further financial details of which were not disclosed, is subject to customary regulatory approvals.

Commenting on the deal, David Epstein,new chief executive of Novartis Pharma, said that hepatitis C is sometimes referred to as a 'silent epidemic' because the virus can lie dormant in the body for years or even decades before the symptoms become apparent. He added that Debio 025 could prove an important step forward 'by significantly enhancing the efficacy of existing therapy that forms the standard of care for hepatitis C', which is peginterferon alfa-2a plus ribavirin.