Medivir receives €2.6 million for hepatitis C collaboration
This article was originally published in Scrip
Executive Summary
Medivir has received a €2.6 million milestone payment from Tibotec after the Belgian Johnson & Johnson subsidiary selected a hepatitis C preclinical development candidate. The Swedish firm has a research, development and licence agreement with Ortho Biotech Products and Tibotec to identify and develop orally active inhibitors of the hepatitis C virus polymerase NS5B (Scrip Online, May 21st, 2008). Tibotec is responsible for the development of the candidate through to marketing and has exclusive worldwide marketing rights except in the Nordic countries, which Medivir has retained. The two firms are developing TMC435 (formerly TMC435350), currently in Phase IIa studies, which inhibits the NS3 protease enzyme.