Celltech licenses cancer drugs to J&J

Celltech of the UK and US firm Johnson & Johnson have announced aworldwide collaboration for the discovery, development and commercialization of a novel class of orally-active compounds for the treatment of cancer. The compounds are selective inhibitors of the enzyme KDR kinase, which is thought to play an important role in regulating the formation of new blood vessels in tumors. The two firms will jointly select lead compounds for clinical development from Celltech's library of inhibitors. The compounds may also have utility in the treatment of diabetic retinopathy.