BMS sells pipeline compounds to ViiV Healthcare
1 February 2016. Related: Antiretrovirals.
Simon Collins, HIV i-Base
On 18 December 2015, Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) announced that the company was selling its discovery, preclinical and clinical programmes for its HIV pipeline to ViiV Healthcare. [1]
The clinical pipeline includes an attachment inhibitor (BMS-663068), currently in phase III studies and a maturation inhibitor (BMS-955176), currently in phase IIb development.
Both compounds are especially important for people with drug resistance to existing HIV drugs.
Details of the “active” preclinical and discovery stage programmes were not included in the statement.
ViiV will pay $350 million up front, with potential regulatory and milestone payments of up to $518 million for the clinical assets and up to $587 million for the discovery and pre-clinical programmes. ViiV will also pay sales-based payments for any compounds that become licensed.
If cleared by US anti-trust laws, the divestment should be completed by mid-2016. BMS announced in June 2015 that the company was withdrawing from virology research. [2]
BMS drugs that are already licensed (efavirenz, Atripla, atazanavir and atazanavir/cobicistat) are not affected by the agreement.
References:
- BMS Press Release. Bristol-Myers Squibb to sell its HIV R&D portfolio to ViiV Healthcare, (18 December 2015).
http://news.bms.com/press-release/partnering-news/bristol-myers-squibb-sell-its-hiv-rd-portfolio-viiv-healthcare - BMS Press Release. Bristol-Myers Squibb Expands R&D Presence Within Hubs of World Class Science and Innovation (25 June 2015).
http://news.bms.com/press-release/rd-news/bristol-myers-squibb-expands-rd-presence-within-hubs-world-class-science-and-i