Roche grants Chugai rights to promising anticancer agent

Roche (ROG: SIX) and Chugai Pharmaceutical (TYO: 4519) have agreed a licensing deal whereby the latter will develop and market the tyrosine kinase inhibitor entrectinib in Japan.

The Basel-based drugmaker picked up the therapy as part of its near-$2 billion purchase of US oncology-focussed firm Ignyta, in December 2017.

Entrectinib targets ROS1 fusion gene positive non-small cell lung cancer and NTRK fusion gene positive solid tumors. Chugai, which is majority-owned by Roche, will be liable for upfront and milestone payments of an undisclosed amount.