Janssen drops pimodivir development program in flu

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) subsidiary Janssen has made a strategic decision to discontinue the development of pimodivir (JNJ-3872), an investigational antiviral treatment for influenza A infection, as it was "very unlikely" to show added benefit.

This decision is based on recent results from pre-planned interim analyses of the pimodivir Phase III trial in hospitalized patients with influenza A, that found pimodivir in combination with the standard of care (SOC) was very unlikely to demonstrate added benefit in hospitalized patients with influenza A compared to SOC treatment alone.

The study in hospitalized patients with influenza A and the parallel Phase III study of pimodivir in outpatients with influenza A will be halted.