Roche Enters Hearing-Loss Space In Risk-Sharing Venture With Inception, Versant

The newly formed Inception 3 will work to bring small molecule candidates for hearing loss, based on technology licensed from Stanford University, to IND-filing stage, at which point Roche will have the option to buy out the program.

A drug-hunting venture borne out of the Bristol-Myers Squibb Co./Amira Pharmaceuticals Inc. buyout in 2011 has resulted in a new opportunity for Roche. Under a novel collaboration structure involving big pharma, venture capital and biotech, Inception Science will create a third company – called Inception 3 Inc. – to discover and develop small molecule drug candidates for sensorineural hearing loss based on technology licensed from Stanford University.

Roche, which will fund Inception 3’s work with milestone-based R&D payments, will hold an option to acquire the program upon...

More from United States

More from North America