Ligand, Roche deal
LGND subsidiary Seragen Inc. granted Roche a non-exclusive sublicense to its Strom Patents, which Seragen exclusively licensed from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (Boston, Mass.). The patents cover the use of antibodies against the interleukin-2 (IL-2) receptor to treat transplant rejection and autoimmune diseases. Roche's license covers the sale of its Zenapax daclizumab kidney transplant product, developed by Protein Design Labs Inc. (PDLI, Fremont, Calif.), in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Seragen will receive a $2.5 million payment from Roche for royalties on sales made prior to the license, and beginning in Jan. 2001 will receive royalties on sales of Zenapax in the licensed territories. Seragen also is eligible for milestone payments if Roche receives U.S. approval of Zenapax to treat autoimmune diseases. ...