Roche has added a Phase III asset to its development pipeline by licensing global development and commercialisation rights to Israeli biotech Chiasma’s lead drug candidate Octreolin®, an oral form of the somatostatin analogue octreotide that is commercially available only by painful injection. Octreolin is in Phase III development for acromegaly and a Phase II study for neuroendocrine tumours is planned for 2013. The product is formulated using Chiasma’s TPE™ (Transient Permeability Enhancer) system, which facilitates the intestinal absorbance of drug molecules with limited intestinal bioavailability.