Ohio University received $8.2 million in fiscal 2010 from licensing technologies that were discovered by its researchers, an increase of 19 percent from last year.
The vast majority of that revenue–about $8 million–came from from Pfizer Corp. from a license for a growth hormone antagonist that became the basis for the drug Somavert, according to a statement from the university. The drug is used for patients with acromegaly, a metabolic disorder that’s a form of gigantism and affects 40,000 people worldwide.
The $8.2 million in revenues makes OU the state’s top public research institution in licensing dollars, according to the statement. By way of comparison, Ohio State University pulled in $1.9 million from licensing in its most recent fiscal year, though that ranks last in the Big 10, Business First of Columbus reported.
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The Somavert deal with Pfizer is expected to bring between $8 million and $10 million a year to OU until its European patent expires in 2016. OU also generates licensing revenues from Diagnostic Hybrids Inc., a diagnostic test company that was acquired earlier this year for $130 million by San Diego-based Quidel Corp.
Interthyr Corp., which makes a test for detecting a thyroid disorder called Graves Disease, generated about $20,000 in licensing income last year for OU, but the university hopes that figure grows to millions in the future, Business First reported.