* Sanofi to increase payments to Regeneron under drug deal
* New agreement expands expiration date of deal
(Updates with details)
NEW YORK, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc
(REGN.O) and French drugmaker Sanofi-aventis (SASY.PA) said on
Tuesday they have expanded their partnership to develop a
number of Regeneron's experimental drugs.
Sanofi will increase its annual funding to Regeneron to
$160 million from $100 million beginning in 2010, and the
funding will extend through 2017.
The agreement extends a previous deal that was scheduled to
expire at the end of 2012.
The companies aim to advance an average of four to five
drug candidates into clinical development each year.
Regeneron's experimental drug aflibercept is now being
tested in late-stage clinical trials, in partnership with
Sanofi, in lung cancer, prostate cancer and colorectal cancer.
To date, Regeneron and Sanofi have moved four experimental
drugs into clinical development.
Regeneron, which is based in the suburban New York village
of Tarrytown, is also developing drugs for gout and macular
degeneration -- a leading cause of blindness.
Regeneron's shares closed up 12 cents at $15.80 on Tuesday
on the Nasdaq.
(Reporting by Toni Clarke, editing by Matthew Lewis)
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