GSK to Partner with Ionis For Hep B Drug Development

Published on: August 28, 2019

GSK will handle the development, regulatory, commercialization activities, and costs of the drug, while Ionis will obtain license fees and milestone payments of up to $262 million, including a $25 million license fee.

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has exercised its option to license antisense medicines from Ionis Pharmaceuticals, an RNA-targeted therapeutics company based in Carlsbad, CA, for people with chronic hepatitis B virus (CHB) infection following positive Phase II results, Ionis announced on Aug. 27, 2019.

Ionis will now be eligible to obtain license fees and milestone payments of up to $262 million, including a $25 million license fee, along with tiered royalties in the low double digits on net sales, according to a company press release. GSK will be responsible for development, regulatory, commercialization activities, and costs of the drug.

"By targeting the root cause of CHB-related liver disease, our antisense technology can potentially deliver a transformative medicine for people who suffer from chronic hepatitis B virus infection," said Brett P. Monia, chief operating officer at Ionis, in the press release. "We believe GSK's development and commercialization expertise in infectious diseases makes them the ideal partner to help address this high unmet need."

Source: Ionis Pharmaceuticals