S. Korean firm signs deal to transfer dementia treatment material to Roche

SEOUL, Jan. 19 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean biotech company signed Tuesday a US$290
million deal with Roche Holding AG to transfer its candidate dementia treatment
material to the Swiss pharmaceutical giant, the biotech company said.
The Seoul-based Digital Biotech Co. said that, under the agreement, it will
transfer its "DBT-066 RAGE" suppressor technology to Roche and participate in
joint research to fully develop the material into a dementia treatment drug.
The candidate material was originally developed by a group of researchers led by
Mook In-hee, a professor at Seoul National University, which transferred
development rights of the material to Digital Biotech in 2008. The company has
conducted additional research highlighting the potential of the material to help
combat dementia.
Unlike the drugs currently on the market, which only slow the effects of
dementia, the material may be able to treat it. The cognitive disorder causes
loss of brain functions such as memory and judgment, generally among the elderly.
According to a report by international research firm Decision Resources, the
market for treating dementia and Alzheimer's disease in the United States and six
other leading industrialized countries could reach $9 billion by 2017 -- up from
$3 billion in 2007 -- as medical advances continue to stretch average lifespan.
The science ministry, which funded the research on the material, said the Digital
Biotech-Roche deal is significant because of its joint research clause.
"This signifies recognition that South Korea's capabilities in the making of new
drugs have reached considerable levels," an official claimed.
He added that the technology transfer arrangement could become a role model for
future cooperation between the government, academia and private companies in the
development of new drugs.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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