Atea Pharmaceuticals Announces Chugai In-License of AT-527 from Roche for the Treatment of COVID-19 in Japan

Rhea-AI Summary

Atea Pharmaceuticals has announced that Chugai Pharmaceutical has obtained exclusive rights to develop and market AT-527 for COVID-19 in Japan from Roche. This collaboration emphasizes a commitment to global accessibility for COVID-19 treatments. AT-527, an oral antiviral, is currently in phase 2 trials and aims to reduce disease severity and transmission. The partnership with Roche, established in October 2020, enhances Atea's capacity to accelerate clinical development and provide treatment options quickly.

Positive

• Chugai obtains exclusive rights for AT-527's development and marketing in Japan, expanding market reach.
• Strategic collaboration with Roche enhances Atea's development capabilities.
• AT-527 shows potential as an efficient COVID-19 treatment in ongoing phase 2 trials.

Negative

• None.

Chugai obtains exclusive development and marketing rights for AT-527 in Japan from Roche, who has ex-US rights for the treatment of COVID-19

BOSTON, Feb. 19, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Atea Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: AVIR) (“Atea”), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, today announced that Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (TOKYO: 4519) has in-licensed the rights for AT-527 for the treatment of COVID-19 in Japan from Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY). Under a strategic collaboration, Roche and Atea are jointly developing AT-527 for the treatment of COVID-19 and Roche has the right to commercialize AT-527 outside of the United States. AT-527 is an orally administered, direct-acting antiviral developmental agent derived from Atea’s purine nucleotide prodrug platform and is in Phase 2 development for the treatment of COVID-19.

“This agreement between Roche and Chugai underscores a commitment to global accessibility of AT-527 to fight COVID-19 and accelerates its entry into this important Asian market,” said Jean-Pierre Sommadossi, Ph.D., Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Atea Pharmaceuticals. “We are delighted that Chugai, who is closely aligned with Roche through a strategic alliance, will undertake this important work, as they have commercial and development expertise and are a market leader in Japan.”

Atea and Roche announced a strategic collaboration on October 22, 2020. The collaboration aims to accelerate the clinical development and manufacturing of AT-527, to investigate its safety and efficacy, and to provide this potential treatment option to patients around the world as quickly as possible.

About AT-527

AT-527 is an orally administered, direct-acting developmental antiviral agent derived from Atea’s nucleotide prodrug platform. AT-527 is currently under evaluation as a treatment for patients with COVID-19. In collaboration with Roche, AT-527 is currently being evaluated in a global Phase 2 study for hospitalized patients with moderate COVID-19 and a Phase 2 virology study in patients with mild or moderate COVID-19 in an outpatient setting. A pivotal Phase 3 trial is planned in the outpatient setting.

A direct-acting antiviral aims to prevent disease progression by minimizing or eliminating viral replication and thereby reducing the severity of the disease, preventing or shortening hospitalization, and also potentially preventing transmission of the virus to others. This makes it well suited for potential use in both pre- and post-exposure prophylactic settings and complementary to vaccines.

About Atea Pharmaceuticals

Atea Pharmaceuticals is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing therapies to address the unmet medical needs of patients with life-threatening viral diseases. Leveraging the Company’s deep understanding of antiviral drug development, nucleoside biology, and medicinal chemistry, Atea has built a proprietary nucleotide prodrug platform to develop novel product candidates to treat single stranded ribonucleic acid, or ssRNA, viruses, which are a prevalent cause of severe viral diseases. Currently, Atea is focused on the development of orally-available, potent, and selective nucleotide prodrugs for difficult-to-treat, life-threatening viral infections, including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19, dengue virus, hepatitis C virus (HCV) and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). For more information, please visit www.ateapharma.com.

Contacts

Investors:

Jonae Barnes
SVP, Investor Relations and Corporate Communications
617-818-2985
Barnes.jonae@ateapharma.com

Will O’Connor
Stern Investor Relations
212-362-1200
will.oconnor@sternir.com

Media:
Carol Guaccero
301-606-4722
contactus@ateapharma.com

FAQ

What are the development rights for AT-527 in Japan?

Chugai Pharmaceutical has obtained exclusive development and marketing rights for AT-527 in Japan from Roche.

What is AT-527 and its significance?

AT-527 is an orally administered antiviral agent for treating COVID-19, currently in phase 2 trials.

Who is collaborating with Atea Pharmaceuticals on AT-527?

Atea Pharmaceuticals is collaborating with Roche to develop AT-527 for COVID-19.

What stage is AT-527 currently in for COVID-19 treatment?

AT-527 is currently being evaluated in phase 2 clinical trials.