Tuesday June 9, 5:45 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
SOURCE: Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Isis and Merck Establish Research Collaboration for Hepatitis C
CARLSBAD, Calif., June 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ISIP - news) announces the establishment of a
multi-million dollar research collaboration with Merck & Co. to discover drug candidates to treat patients infected with the Hepatitis C
virus (HCV). The three-year collaboration will provide Isis with significant annual research support plus a one-time technology access fee.
In addition, Isis will receive milestone payments as compounds arising from the collaboration proceed through clinical development and
royalties from product sales.
As part of the collaboration, chemists from Isis and Merck will design, synthesize and evaluate novel small molecules which Merck will
screen in its proprietary enzymatic assays for identifying HCV replication inhibitors. Merck has the right to commercialize drugs arising
out of the collaboration and Isis will retain the rights to use the technology developed in the collaboration in its antisense program.
''This new relationship with Merck is important,'' said Stanley Crooke, M.D., Ph.D., Chairman and CEO, Isis Pharmaceuticals. ''Merck
is the ideal partner for Isis in this area of novel therapeutics and the collaboration demonstrates Merck's confidence in our ability to work
together in discovering drugs to more effectively treat Hepatitis C, a serious viral infection that affects millions of people worldwide. In
addition, the funds generated from this collaboration provide Isis with significant resources to further research and development efforts.''
Hepatitis C is a potentially deadly disease that infects the liver and which can eventually cause liver cancer and death. Manifestations of
the disease include jaundice, fatigue, nausea, muscle and joint pain, and abdominal pain. The incidence of Hepatitis C has reached
epidemic proportions; today, it estimated that almost 4 million Americans are infected with Hepatitis C. Many people infected with the
disease do not know they have been infected and do not develop symptoms for decades. Hepatitis C is spread most often through contact
with tainted blood through intravenous drug use, blood transfusions, and organ transplantation. It is estimated that 8,000- 10,000 people
die from Hepatitis C per year.
|
