Janssen Pharmaceuticals Acquire GSK Antiviral
Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen Pharmaceuticals has acquired an investigational antiviral from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) with the aim to develop an oral regimen for the treatment of hepatitis C (HCV).
The pharmaceutical company has paid to obtain access to the NS5a replication complex inhibitor GSK2336805, which GlaxoSmithKline and their partner, Vertex, had taken up to clinical Phase II development for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C in adult patients with compensated liver disease.
As part of the agreement between the pharmaceutical organisations, Janssen have acquired the rights to develop and commercialise the experimental candidate, including in combination with other medicines. Financial terms for the deal have not been released.
It was also announced that Janssen plan to initiate Phase II clinical studies to evaluate the drug’s potential in interferon-free combinations with the investigational protease inhibitor simeprevir (TMC435) and TMC647055, Janssen Pharmaceutical’s own non-nucleoside polymerase inhibitor, to treat the disease in patients with the condition.
Roughly 150 million people are infected with hepatitis C globally, with around 350,000 people dying from the disease each year worldwide.
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