Gilead and Assembly Bio enter into $100 million partnership for antiviral drugs

Gilead Sciences announced on Tuesday that it has entered into a partnership with Assembly Biosciences to focus on developing antiviral treatments for diseases such as herpes, hepatitis B and hepatitis D.

As part of the 12-year agreement, Gilead will pay $100 million upfront, including an upfront payment of $84.8 million and an initial equity investment of $15.2.

The company will also contribute potential future regulatory, commercial and collaboration deferred payments if Gilead decides to move forward with any program under the deal. As a result, Assembly Bio is eligible to receive milestone awards of up to $330 million per candidate.

Through this collaboration, Gilead will build on Assembly Bio’s small molecule antiviral portfolio, which includes candidates such as hepatitis B virus (HBV) treatment ABI-4334, as well as a long-acting treatment for herpes simplex virus. Gyrase primase inhibitor ABI-5366. herpes simplex virus).

Tomas Cihlar, senior vice president of virology research at Gilead, said in a statement that this collaboration will help Gilead address the next wave of virology innovation as the company works to address unmet needs for people affected by severe viral infections around the world. need.

“Collaboration and partnerships are key to pursuing the next wave of transformative innovation,” Cihlar said in a statement. “We are pleased to announce our partnership with Assembly Bio to synergize our efforts to advance and accelerate novel antiviral The discovery and development of therapeutics.”

Going forward, Assembly Bio will lead research and development efforts, while Gilead will play a leading role in discovery, research, development and commercialization should a decision be made to advance a drug candidate.

Jason Okazaki, CEO of Assembly Bio, noted in a statement that the new agreement with Gilead will address significant unmet medical needs in areas such as herpes viruses and viral hepatitis.

“We believe the shared expertise and promising investigational therapies that both organizations contribute to this collaboration have the potential to lead to significant advances for patients,” Okazaki said.

Throughout 2023, Gilead has been busy making deals.

The Assembly Bio partnership follows the announcement of a collaboration between Gilead and Tentarix in August. The three-year agreement focuses on the development of cancer and inflammatory disease drug candidates through Tentarix’s proprietary Tentacles platform.

Gilead also acquired XinThera earlier this year, which will expand its oncology and inflammation pipeline.

The pharmaceutical company reported growth in its second-quarter earnings report in August, with total revenue rising 5% to $6.6 billion in the quarter. Its cell therapy products saw the largest growth, at 27%, while its liver disease product portfolio grew by 4%.

The company is scheduled to release its latest earnings report on Nov. 7 after the market closes.