Medivir Mulls Separation As Simeprevir Royalties Decline

Huddinge, Sweden-based Medivir AB is evaluating the separation of its operations into two independent companies, with a new listing for its commercial pharmaceuticals portfolio to add to an already-listed company dedicated to R&D, as its continues to manage the rise and fall of its hepatitis C protease inhibitor simeprevir.

Simeprevir was one of the first of the highly active hepatitis C protease inhibitors to be developed and launched, and rapidly garnered sales through licensee Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. that marketed it as Olysio. But the product has been rapidly overtaken by more favored competing therapies such as those marketed by Gilead Sciences Inc