CARLSBAD, Calif., Nov. 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Ionis
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: IONS) announced today that it has
licensed a second orally delivered Generation 2.5 antisense drug to
Janssen Biotech, Inc. (Janssen) for which Ionis earned $5 million. IONIS-JBI2-2.5Rx is
designed to locally reduce the production of an undisclosed target
in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract for the treatment of a GI
autoimmune disease. Jansen will now assume all global development,
regulatory, and commercialization responsibilities for
IONIS-JBI2-2.5Rx for GI diseases.
"We are pleased that IONIS-JBI2-2.5Rx is advancing
into development because we believe this drug has the potential to
treat autoimmune disorders in the GI tract that are underserved
with current therapies," said Frank
Bennett, Ph.D., senior vice president of research at Ionis
Pharmaceuticals. "Our collaboration with Janssen has been very
productive. This is the second drug Janssen has licensed in little
over a year, which is the direct result of the speed and efficiency
of our antisense technology."
Under its global collaboration agreement with Janssen, Ionis is
eligible to receive nearly $800
million in development, regulatory and sales milestone
payments and license fees. In addition, Ionis will receive tiered
royalties that on average are double-digits on sales from any
product that is successfully commercialized.
IONIS-JBI1-2.5Rx, the first collaboration target, was
licensed to Janssen last year and Janssen has assumed all global
development, regulatory and commercialization responsibilities
related to this drug.
ABOUT IONIS PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
Ionis is the leading
company in RNA-targeted drug discovery and development focused on
developing drugs for patients who have the highest unmet medical
needs, such as those patients with severe and rare diseases. Using
its proprietary antisense technology, Ionis has created a large
pipeline of first-in-class or best-in-class drugs, with over three
dozen drugs in development. SPINRAZA® (nusinersen)
has been approved in global markets for the treatment of
spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Biogen is responsible for
commercializing SPINRAZA. Drugs that have successfully completed
Phase 3 studies include inotersen, an antisense drug Ionis is
developing to treat patients with hereditary TTR amyloidosis
(hATTR), and volanesorsen, an antisense drug discovered by Ionis
and co-developed by Ionis and Akcea Therapeutics to treat
patients with either familial chylomicronemia syndrome or familial
partial lipodystrophy. Akcea, an affiliate of Ionis, is a
biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing
drugs to treat patients with serious cardiometabolic diseases
caused by lipid disorders. If approved, volanesorsen will be
commercialized through Ionis' affiliate, Akcea. Inotersen filings
for marketing approval have been submitted in the U.S. and
EU. Volanesorsen filings for marketing approval have been
submitted in the U.S., EU, and Canada. Ionis' patents provide strong and
extensive protection for its drugs and technology. Additional
information about Ionis is available
at www.ionispharma.com.
IONIS' FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENT
This press release
includes forward-looking statements regarding the therapeutic and
commercial potential regarding Ionis' alliance with Janssen, Ionis
research, development and commercial opportunities in developing
antisense drugs to treat autoimmune disease in the gastrointestinal
tract. Any statement describing Ionis' goals, expectations,
financial or other projections, intentions or beliefs is a
forward-looking statement and should be considered an at-risk
statement. Such statements are subject to certain risks and
uncertainties, particularly those inherent in the process of
discovering, developing and commercializing drugs that are safe and
effective for use as human therapeutics, and in the endeavor of
building a business around such drugs. Ionis' forward-looking
statements also involve assumptions that, if they never materialize
or prove correct, could cause its results to differ materially from
those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.
Although Ionis' forward-looking statements reflect the good faith
judgment of its management, these statements are based only on
facts and factors currently known by Ionis. As a result, you are
cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. These
and other risks concerning Ionis' programs are described in
additional detail in Ionis' annual report on Form 10-K for the year
ended December 31, 2016, and its most
recent quarterly report on Form 10-Q, which are on file with the
SEC. Copies of these and other documents are available from the
Company.
In this press release, unless the context requires otherwise,
"Ionis," "Company," "we," "our," and "us" refers to Ionis
Pharmaceuticals and its subsidiaries.
Ionis Pharmaceuticals™ is a trademark of Ionis Pharmaceuticals,
Inc. Akcea Therapeutics™ is a trademark of Ionis Pharmaceuticals,
Inc. SPINRAZA® is a registered trademark of Biogen.
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SOURCE Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.