Isis, Janssen in Autoimmune R&D Alliance

Isis Pharmaceuticals has entered into a global collaboration with Janssen Biotech to discover and develop antisense drugs to treat gastrointestinal autoimmune disorders. The collaboration combines Isis’ RNA-targeted technology platform and Janssen’s expertise in autoimmune disorders and therapeutic formulation to develop antisense drugs that can be locally administered, including oral delivery.
 
The agreement covers three programs. Isis will receive $35 million in upfront payments and is eligible to receive nearly $800 million in development, regulatory and sales milestones and license fees for these programs. Isis will also receive royalties on sales from any product successfully commercialized. Janssen has the option to license a drug from each of the programs once a development candidate is identified, in which case, it will assume global development, regulatory and commercialization responsibilities. 
 
“We are excited to be working with Janssen to apply our drug discovery and development efforts in this therapeutic area. This collaboration broadens the utility of our drug discovery technology to new targets in the GI tract and expands the administration of antisense drugs to local delivery, including oral delivery, to the gut,” said B. Lynne Parshall, chief operating officer at Isis Pharmaceuticals. “This partnering strategy ensures that we have access to resources that support and enhance our drug discovery efforts and also provides us with collaborators, like Janssen, who are uniquely capable of conducting development, marketing and commercial efforts for these drugs.”