Johnson & Johnson (J&J) Innovation and Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. have formed an exclusive license agreement with Chia Tai Tianqing Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd. (CTTQ), a Chinese domestic pharmaceutical company and subsidiary of Sino Biopharma, Ltd. focused on liver diseases, to develop, manufacture, and commercialize, outside of China, undisclosed immune-modulating agents to treat human diseases, including curative treatment of chronic Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.

The agreement, facilitated by Johnson & Johnson Innovation, Janssen Business Development, follows J&J’s recent acquisition of Novira Therapeutics, Inc. and collaborations with Ichor Medical Systems, Inc. and the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, to address the unmet medical need inflicted by HBV. Chronic hepatitis B is a potentially fatal liver disease with approximately 60% of hepatocellular carcinoma cases attributed to infection with the hepatitis B virus. Current therapies are unable to cure the infection, requiring most people to endure lifelong treatment. More than 350 million people are infected with HBV worldwide, according to information from J&J.

In addition, Johnson & Johnson Innovation is also announcing 21 new collaborations across its consumer, medical devices, and pharmaceuticals sectors. Eight of these collaborations are in the consumer and medical Devices sectors, reflecting new strategic initiatives recently launched by research & development leaders in collaboration with teams focused on external innovation.

In the pharmaceuticals sector, in addition to the deal with Chia Tai Tianqing Pharmaceutical, Janssen and Johnson & Johnson Innovation are announcing a new program for accelerating the development of select internal, early-stage pre-clinical and clinical candidates through external collaboration. In the program, certain candidates will be partnered for continued advancement with the option to explore subsequent deal structures in the future. This new paradigm recognizes the strong in-house development focus on core Janssen disease areas and the need for business models that support the development of further potential therapies for patients through different, innovative routes.

These 21 new collaborations were facilitated by Johnson & Johnson Innovation Centers in Asia-Pacific, Boston, California or London, or through Johnson & Johnson Innovation-JJDC, Inc or Johnson & Johnson Innovation, Janssen Business Development. Details of these collaborations may be found here.

Source: Johnson & Johnson