WALTHAM, Mass.--Genome Therapeutics here announced the extension of its $43.5 million collaboration with Schering-Plough to identify and develop novel antiinfectives for drug-resistant bacteria. The expanded agreement will carry the alliance at least through March 31, 2000. The two companies also forged a $67 million alliance in December, 1996, to develop novel therapeutics for asthma, and a $33 million antifungal collaboration in September, 1997.
Genome Therapeutics' commercial gene discovery strategy is to identify and characterize human genes associated with major diseases and to elucidate bacterial genes responsible for many serious infectious diseases.