Roche said Nov. 16 that it is terminating its partnership with Atea Pharmaceuticals to develop a COVID-19 antiviral pill, one month after the drug failed in a midstage trial.
Roche and Atea had partnered in developing AT-527, an antiviral pill intended to treat nonhospitalized COVID-19 patients. Basel, Switzerland-based Roche will return the rights and licenses for the drug to Boston-based Atea Feb. 10.
Atea will have the full rights to continue clinical development and commercialization of AT-527 worldwide, and it said it intends to move forward with the drug.
"We have the financial resources and the talent to independently drive forward the Phase 3 MORNINGSKY clinical trial program, and we continue to expect data from this trial during the second half of 2022," Jean-Pierre Sommadossi, PhD, CEO and founder of Atea, said in a news release. "We are energized by the opportunity to move forward with full ownership, providing us with autonomy to efficiently bring AT-527 to market."
The two drugmakers said last month that the drug failed to benefit nonhospitalized patients in a midstage trial, as was the goal. It didn't reduce the viral load in patients with mild to moderate symptoms.
But they said the data from the trial suggests AT-527 may be effective in high-risk patients with underlying health conditions.