Chiron Corporation and Enanta Pharmaceuticals have signed an exclusive agreement to develop and commercialize Chiron's portfolio of hepatitis C virus (HCV) protease inhibitors. Enanta also has been granted a non-exclusive license to Chiron's HCV technology to further enable the research and development of HCV therapeutics.

Under the terms of the agreement, Enanta will have exclusive rights to develop and commercialize Chiron's portfolio of HCV protease inhibitors. As part of the agreement, Enanta will make pre-commercial payments upon the achievement of development milestones and pay royalties on commercial sales. Chiron will retain certain co-development and commercialization opt-in rights worldwide, excluding Asia.

"Chiron's pioneering science in cloning, identifying and sequencing the hepatitis C virus laid the groundwork for the battle against HCV infection. The company has demonstrated its commitment to addressing the toll from this terrible disease through its broad licensing policy and work in vaccines and blood screening," said Kenneth W. Bair, senior vice president, head of BioPharmaceuticals research at Chiron.

"Through this agreement with Chiron, a leader in the field of HCV research, we will accelerate the advancement of novel therapeutics for HCV and strengthen our growing pipeline of novel anti-infective drugs that address significant unmet medical needs worldwide," stated Jay Luly, president and CEO of Enanta Pharmaceuticals.