Ore Pharmaceuticals Acquires Rights to Develop a Second Drug Candidate from Roche

Ore Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced has that it has acquired from Roche the exclusive development rights for the clinical-stage compound romazarit.

Ore Pharmaceuticals had previously identified potentially therapeutic uses for romazarit in metabolic diseases and subsequently observed a lowering of lipids, weight, and glucose levels in in-vivo testing.

The Company filed recently for patent protection regarding the use of the compound for treatment of metabolic diseases. Ore Pharmaceuticals plans to further develop romazarit, select the most appropriate of the potential indications, and prepare for Phase II clinical trials. The Company will engage in out-licensing efforts in parallel with development efforts.

Ore Pharmaceuticals 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 Pharmaceuticals discovered that romazarit modulates a key pathway related to metabolic function.