BASEL, Switzerland (August 10, 2004) – Roche, based here, and Memory Pharmaceuticals Corp., Montvale, NJ, agreed to a two-year extension of their 2002 research collaboration agreement on nervous system degenerative diseases.

Under the extended agreement, Roche is committed to a minimum of 18 month’s funding of Memory’s research efforts in the amount of $5.3 million.

The relationship with Memory evolved from a licensing deal in 2002 to a broad partnership looking at a number of diseases of the central nervous system (CNS), according to Peter Hug, global head of pharma partnering at Roche.

Memory Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing drugs for the treatment of CNS disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, depression, schizophrenia, vascular dementia, Mild Cognitive Impairment, and memory impairments associated with aging.

Roche is a partner to around 50 companies worldwide. Its core businesses are pharmaceuticals and diagnostics.