Enanta Signs License Agreement with Novartis

Novartis will be responsible for all costs associated with the development, manufacture and commercialization of EDP-239 and will fund Enanta's drug discovery efforts on certain additional compounds targeting NS5A.

Enanta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced Tuesday that it has entered into an exclusive collaboration and license agreement with Novartis for the worldwide development, manufacture and commercialization of its lead development candidate, EDP-239, from its NS5A hepatitis C virus (HCV) inhibitor program.

NS5A, a clinically validated target, is a non-structural viral protein that is essential to viral replication. Research efforts have shown that targeting NS5A gives rise to profound antiviral activity, and as a result, this protein has emerged as an important target for antiviral drug development.

Under the terms of the agreement, Enanta will receive an upfront payment of $34 million and is eligible to receive up to $406 million if certain clinical, regulatory,