Roche signs $1 billion deal with cell therapy firm SQZ biotech

pharmafile | October 17, 2018 | News story | Research and Development |  Roche, SQZ, collaboration, deal, oncology 

The Massachusetts-based cell therapy company SQZ Biotech, has announced the expansion of its collaboration with Swiss pharma giant Roche, in a deal that could be worth up to $1 billion.

The collaboration is aimed at developing new treatments for cancer through the combination of SQZ’s cell therapy innovations and Roche’s expertise in the area of immunotherapy.

“We believe that this new expanded collaboration accelerates our ability to bring a broad range of impactful oncology products to market,” said Armon Sharei, PhD, founder and Chief Executive Officer of SQZ. “We have an ambitious scientific and clinical vision to create transformative cell therapies at SQZ, and we believe our alliance with Roche will yield novel therapeutics for cancer patients.”

The deal will likely see SQZ receive an upfront payment of $125 million, with the potential for up to $1 billion if development milestones are met.

The deal will see an expansion of a 2015 deal between SQZ and Roche which saw the companies jointly develop therapeutics derived from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs).

Louis Goss