J&J to acquire Novira to gain access to hepatitis B candidate

5 November 2015

US health care giant Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) yesterday announced a definitive agreement to acquire Novira Therapeutics, a privately held, US clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapies for curative treatment of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.

The acquisition includes Novira’s portfolio of novel antivirals, including its lead candidate, NVR 3-778. Financial terms of the transaction have not been disclosed.

NVR 3-778 is a small molecule, direct acting antiviral, for oral administration in patients with HBV that inhibits the HBV core or capsid protein. HBV core is a novel and promising drug target since it is involved in multiple activities required for viral replication and persistence.

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