Amgen Licence CIFN Rights To Yamanouchi

The rights to Amgen's consensus interferon has been licenced to Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical of Japan. The licence covers the worldwide development, manufacture and marketing of the product, with the exception of the USA and Canada. In April, Amgen filed for marketing approval with the US Food and Drug Administration. Once received it will market consensus interferon as Infergen in North America.

CIFN, a type-one synthesized interferon, has proved both safe and effective in clinical trials for hepatitis C virus infection, a precursor to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, when compared to Roche's Intron A (interferon alfa-2b).

The $15 million licencing agreement follows five months of discussions, with milestone payments and royalties to be paid in addition to the original sum. There will also be co-marketing and development agreements between Yamanouchi and Amgen subsidiaries in Japan and China.