A roundup of bio/pharmaceutical partnering news from Roche/Avista and Endo/Quoin. Highlights below.

* Roche, Avista in $1-Bn Gene-Therapy Pact
* Endo, Quoin in Pact for Rare Skin Disease Drug

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Roche, Avista in $1-Bn Gene-Therapy Pact
Roche has partnered with Avista Therapeutics, a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based bio/pharmaceutical company focused on gene therapies, to develop adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene-therapy vectors for ocular diseases in a deal worth up to $1 billion ($7.5 million upfront and up to $1 billion in milestone payments and royalties).

The partnership aims to apply Avista’s single-cell AAV engineering platform technology to develop intravitreal AAV capsids matching a capsid profile defined by Roche. Under the agreement, Roche has the right to evaluate and license capsids from Avista and will be responsible for conducting preclinical, clinical, and commercialization activities for gene-therapy programs using these capsids.

Avista will receive an upfront payment of $7.5 million and, if successful, is eligible to receive additional payments during the research phase of the partnership, as well as clinical and sales milestone payments and royalties for resulting products with a total potential deal value that may exceed $1 billion.

Source: Avista Therapeutics

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Endo, Quion in Pact for Rare Skin Disease Drug
Endo International has entered into agreements with Quoin Pharmaceuticals, an Ashburn, Virginia-based specialty pharmaceutical company, for the development, registration, supply, commercialization, and distribution in Canada of Quoin’s QRX003, an investigational drug to treat Netherton Syndrome, a rare, hereditary skin disorder. If the product is approved, Paladin Labs, an operating company of Endo, will be responsible for all commercial activities in Canada.

Source: Quoin Pharmaceuticals and Endo International