CHUGAI ENTERS GENE, ANTISENSE FIELD

Chugai Pharmaceutical has signed an agreement with Targetech of the USA covering research and development into antisense- and gene therapy-based drugs for treating hepatitis B. Targetech is a subsidiary of Immune Response Corp.

Chugai will conduct clinical trials on a candidate antisense drug in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, and if it reaches the market will have exclusive marketing rights in these countries. The objective of the collaboration is to devise a means of transporting antisense drugs or genes across the membranes of hepatic cells to the virus target.