While Biogen is not invested in developing cancer medicines, the company has had a long-standing partnership with Roche subsidiary Genentech on medicines that target an immune cell protein called CD20.
The partnership, first inked in 1995 and then reworked in 2010, covers Roche’s cancer medicines Rituxan and Gazyva, as well as Roche’s multiple sclerosis treatment Ocrevus. It’s been lucrative for Biogen as Rituxan was for many years among the industry’s top-selling medicines, although rising competition has depressed sales recently.
