Roche in-licenses POL7080 from Polyphor in up to 500 million-franc accord

Drug major Roche (ROG: SIX) has entered into an exclusive worldwide license agreement to develop and commercialize privately-held, also Switzerland-based Polyphor’s investigational macrocycle antibiotic, POL7080, for patients suffering from bacterial infections caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Under the terms of the deal, Roche will make an upfront payment of 35 million Swiss francs ($38.4 million) to Polyphor as well as payments on reaching certain development, regulatory and commercial milestones, potentially up to 465 million francs. In addition, Polyphor is entitled to receive tiered double-digit royalties on product sales. Polyphor will retain the option to co-promote an inhaled formulation of POL7080 in Europe. The transaction is subject to customary regulatory clearances including termination of the applicable Hart-Scott-Rodino waiting period.

Earlier this year, Polyphor expanded an existing deal on the discovery and development of macrocyclic compounds with independent German drug major Boehringer Ingelheim (The Pharma Letter August 1).