The winding terrain of the longstanding collaboration between GlaxoSmithKline PLC and Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc. took another turn on 27 August, as the pharma elected to opt in on a pair of antisense candidates for hepatitis B, paying the biotech $25m in licensing fees with the potential for milestone payments sales royalties.
GSK Opts In On Ionis’ Antisense Candidates For Hep B
The pharma is taking over a pair of Ionis candidates intended to address the underlying cause of HBV, possibly offering a curative therapy. It’s just the second HBV licensing agreement in 2019, after heavier deal flow in recent years.
