ski, I’ve admittedly not followed Roche closely, but I’m aware that they are a powerhouse in oncology, and have been the top seller of cancer drugs for years. Their older blockbusters, Rituxan, Herceptin and Avastin, etc., are going to be facing increasing competition from biosimilars just coming onto the market, while the newer Tecentriq, which is approved for lung and bladder cancer, also faces tough competition.
For many years Roche, like most of Big Pharma, has enjoyed the status quo, and has been reluctant to change a business model that has worked quite well for them. But in recognition that change is inevitable, and gene and cell therapy is the future, they’ve recently they made a few smaller early-stage partnership deals in the gene and cell therapy space. They seem to be more interested in allogenic, rather that autologous therapies (like Merck) when they have dipped a toe in the space though.
So right now I think Roche may be interested in Northwest Bio more from the standpoint that they are aware of what’s going on in the industry, and future potential competitive threats, (like everyone else) but I personally don’t see them as a realistic partner, who has any real interest in cell therapy, at this point.
One of the big advantages that Northwest Bio has over other cell therapy manufacturers, is scalable, automated manufacturing, which may disrupt the current personalized-therapy pricing model, and somewhat bridge the gap between the outrageously expensive CART-T and gene therapy pricing model, and the current mass-market biologic cancer treatment pricing. This might entice a company like Roche, who had previously been reluctant to make a significant acquisition in the space, finally make a major move though.
I think what really matters when looking at potential partners, is the type of deal that Linda Powers wants. I don’t know if they still plan to partner out various indications, which seemed to be the plan years ago, licensing, or something more strategic with a company like Gilead or Bristol Myers, who has extensive cell therapy expertise and infrastructure.
