Roche will fund the research, which will be conducted by both Roche and Emisphere. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Emisphere’s eligen technology is used to convert injected drugs into orally delivered therapeutic formulations. The technology is based on the use of proprietary, synthetic chemical compounds, known as Emisphere delivery agents, or “carriers.” These molecules facilitate or enable the transport of the therapeutic macromolecules across biological membranes such as those of the gastrointestinal tract, and exert their desired pharmacological effect.
“Establishing a research collaboration agreement with Roche to investigate the application of our technology on multiple compounds demonstrates the value Emisphere brings to the product development process. Roche has been working with Emisphere for a number of years and this new agreement further strengthens the relationship between our two companies,” said Dr Michael Goldberg, chairman and CEO, Emisphere Technologies.