For Roche, getting its arms all around Genentech includes getting a chance to finally take a very close look at some of the biotech's in-house data on its drug prospects.
That nugget of information was handed out by Bill Burns, Roche's chief of the pharma division, in a conference call yesterday as it discussed the implications of Art Levinson's departure from the CEO post at Genentech.
"There was considerable biomarker data on some of the products that was not shared in the collaboration because it could result in future intellectual property," Burns said. "So now having the legal infrastructure protecting the outer walls of the family and not cutting across one member of the family, will allow a much broader transparency and sharing of that data."
Burns hastened to add that even though it can take a more detailed look at Genentech's drug prospects, researchers in South San Francisco will continue to be given plenty of freedom to decide how to proceed, note the Wall Street Journal.
- read the report from the Wall Street Journal