Cocrystal Pharma Announces Exclusive Worldwide License and Collaboration Agreement with Merck

Cocrystal Pharma (NASDAQ:COCP) a clinical stage biotechnology company discovering and developing novel antiviral therapeutics that target the replication machinery of influenza viruses, hepatitis C viruses and noroviruses, announced today that it has entered into an exclusive license and collaboration agreement with Merck to discover and develop certain proprietary influenza A/B antiviral agents.

As quoted in the press release:

Under the terms of the agreement, Merck will fund research and development for the program, including clinical development, and will be responsible for worldwide commercialization of any products derived from the collaboration. Cocrystal will be paid an undisclosed upfront sum and is eligible to receive payments related to designated development, regulatory and sales milestones with the potential to earn up to $156 million, as well as undisclosed royalties on product sales.

“We are thrilled to work with Merck, a preeminent research-intensive pharmaceutical company, to advance the development of certain influenza A/B antivirals. Our R&D team has been intently focused on advancing our influenza program forward and we believe the combination of Merck resources and our innovative platform will enable us to rapidly advance important new treatments for influenza, which is a significant worldwide unmet need,” commented Dr. Gary Wilcox, Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Cocrystal. “This collaboration is a significant milestone for Cocrystal that we believe further validates our approach to drug discovery with our unique structure-based technologies and Nobel Prize winning expertise to create first- and best-in-class antiviral drugs.”

Click here to read the full press release.