J&J, BMS Team Up on Cardiovascular Therapies

The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson (J&J) announced on April 16, 2018 that it has entered a new worldwide collaboration with Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) to develop and commercialize Factor XIa (FXIa) inhibitors, including BMS-986177, for preventing and treating major thrombotic conditions.

Under the agreement, Janssen Pharmaceuticals and BMS will advance BMS-986177 into Phase II clinical trials and establish a broad development program across multiple therapeutic indications. The companies will share development costs and commercial profits and losses. Additional terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Development of next-generation anticoagulants, such as oral anticoagulants, has been a significant step forward in the prevention and treatment of thrombosis, the companies report. The aim with next-generation anticoagulants is to achieve the same efficacy as the current standard of care while substantially lowering the risk of bleeding. FXIa inhibition has been shown in early clinical research to have the potential to reduce the risk of thrombotic events with a significantly lower risk of bleeding compared to currently available therapies, according to the companies.

“Janssen has built deep knowledge in the anticoagulation space through our extensive experience researching and developing innovative cardiovascular therapies,” said James List, MD, PhD, global therapeutic area head, Cardiovascular and Metabolism, Janssen Research & Development, in a company press release. “We look forward to applying our expertise to this collaboration with Bristol-Myers Squibb to explore the full potential of BMS-986177 through Factor XIa inhibition to provide a wider safety window for anticoagulation than current therapies.”

“With the addition of a Factor XIa inhibitor program to our pipeline, Janssen continues to live up to our long-standing commitment of working tirelessly to bring truly transformational therapies to patients worldwide,” said Mathai Mammen, MD, PhD, global head, Janssen Research & Development, in the press release. “With this new collaboration we have the potential to improve the standard of care for patients with cardiovascular conditions characterized by pathologic thrombosis.”

Source: Johnson & Johnson