Roche buys rights for danoprevir from InterMune

BASEL, Switzerland Swiss drug maker Roche has bought the rights to an investigative treatment for hepatitis C, Roche said.

The company announced Thursday that it had purchased global development and commercialization rights to the drug RG7227/ITMN-191 (danoprevir) from InterMune for $175 million.

Roche said the drug had shown promise in preclinical and early clinical development. The two companies have been developing the drug since 2006.