Oxford BioMedica, Sanofi deal

Oxford BioMedica said Sanofi exercised its option under an April 2009 deal to acquire exclusive, worldwide rights to Oxford BioMedica's ocular disease products UshStat and StarGen. Oxford BioMedica will receive a $3 million exercise payment and is eligible for milestones, plus royalties. UshStat, a LentiVector-based gene therapy expressing a gene encoding myosin VIIA ( MYO7A; USH1B) for Usher syndrome, and StarGen, a LentiVector-based gene therapy expressing a corrected version of ATP-binding cassette sub-family A member 4 ( ABCA4; ABCR) for Stargardt disease, are in Phase I/IIa testing. The products have Orphan Drug designation in the U.S. and EU. Details were not disclosed (see BioCentury, May 4, 2009). ...