Roche’s Genentech subsidiary forms partnership with Vernalis

Roche Group member Genentech has entered into a new drug discovery collaboration with fellow healthcare company Vernalis.

The arrangement will see the organisations working towards an undisclosed research target using Vernalis' fragment and structure-based drug discovery platform, with financial details of the deal remaining confidential.

James Sabry, vice-president of Genentech Partnering, said: "Genentech constantly seeks collaborations like this one to develop therapies that offer the potential of advancing the standard of care and making a meaningful difference in the lives of patients."

Meanwhile, Vernalis' chief executive officer Ian Garland said Genentech's decision validates the market-leading credentials of its drug discovery platform, while reinforcing its strategy of using collaborations to support its research efforts.

Last month, Roche and Genentech published new clinical trial data from a phase III study called Cleopatra, which assessed the safety and efficacy of the drug pertuzumab against metastatic breast cancer.

The study showed that the treatment delivered a 6.1-month improvement in progression-free survival.