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 The five-year research alliance involves Sanofi paying an initial
$50 million to access DiCE's technology and taking an equity stake
in the U.S. firm.
The companies will then work on as many as 12 drug targets, with
Sanofi contributing up to $184 million per target in research,
clinical and regulatory milestone payments. France's biggest
drugmaker will also pay DiCE royalties on sales of any medicines
that are successfully developed, the companies said.
California-based DiCE specializes in producing novel medicines that
can be given as pills but which tackle complex diseases that
normally require treatment with injectable protein-based drugs.
In particular, DiCE believes its technology should enable monoclonal
antibodies, which are given by injection or infusion, to be replaced
by orally-administered medicines. Antibody drugs are used to treat
various types of cancer, as well as serious immune system disorders
such as rheumatoid arthritis.
The approach may also open up ways to tackle conditions for which
there are currently no good treatment options.
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"We hope this partnership will help deliver essential therapies
against currently intractable disease targets," said Kathy Bowdish,
head of Sanofi's Sunrise Initiative, which aims to invest in
early-stage drug opportunities via partnerships.
(Reporting by James Regan and Ben Hirschler; editing by David
Clarke)
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