Roche licenses vemurafenib to Chugai

F Hoffmann-La Roche has given marketing and development rights of BRAF inhibitor vemurafenib to Chugai Pharmaceutical. The licensing deal allows Roche to get milestone payments from Chugai Pharma.Chugai Pharma intends to begin a Phase I clinical trial for BRAF mutation-positive metastatic melanoma in Japan in 2012.Vemurafenib is being co-developed under a 2006 license and collaboration agreement between Roche and Plexxikon, a member of the Daiichi Sankyo Group.