Ore Pharma gets rights to second Roche drug

Maryland, USA-based Ore Pharmaceuticals says that it has acquired from Swiss drug major Roche the exclusive development rights for the clinical-stage compound, romazarit. Ore had previously identified potentially novel therapeutic uses for romazarit in metabolic diseases and subsequently observed a lowering of lipids, weight and glucose levels in in vivo testing. The US company recently filed for patent protection regarding the use of the compound for the treatment of metabolic diseases. Ore plans to further develop romazarit, select the most appropriate of the potential indications, and prepare for Phase II clinical trials. It will engage in out-licensing efforts in parallel with development efforts.

Ore acquired the development rights for romazarit through its partnership with Roche, where it was initially developed as an anti-inflammatory compound and had reached Phase II clinical testing for rheumatoid arthritis. Repositioning efforts at Ore discovered that the drug modulates a key pathway related to metabolic function.

Thomas Barnes, senior vice president of discovery at Ore, said: "romazarit joins tiapamil and GL1001 as success stories resulting from our indication seeking program. Based on the data derived from our program, we initiated in vivo tests and were pleased to observe decreases in lipid levels, body weight and plasma glucose in various preclinical models. There are significant opportunities for development in each of these areas."