Janssen Dissolves HPV, HBV Collaboration with Bavarian Nordic

 

Janssen terminated a seven-year-old vaccine collaboration with Bavarian Nordic. The two companies partnered in 2015 to develop potential vaccines against the hepatitis B virus and human papillomaviruses.

In a brief announcement this morning, Janssen, a division of Johnson & Johnson, said it discontinued the development partnership due to advancements made by other companies against the human papillomavirus, as well as its own changing strategic priorities. Janssen and Bavarian Nordic’s HPV program was still in the early clinical stages, having only moved to Phase I/II. Janssen said it would not be focusing R&D efforts on a therapeutic vaccine against human papillomaviruses at this time.

Merck’s HPV vaccine, Gardasil, is one of the leading vaccines against the human papillomavirus (HPV), the most common sexually transmitted infection. There are more than 200 types of HPV. While HPV can go away on its own, the condition can also lead to severe health issues, including different types of cancer. 

The company also noted that no clinical programs in hepatitis B had been initiated by Janssen using Bavarian Nordic technology that was at the center of the deal.

In 2015, Janssen licensed the rights to Bavarian Nordic’s MVA-BN for HPV in a $171 million deal. MVA-BN is a vaccine platform technology believed to be suitable for tackling multiple infectious diseases and cancers. Before the HPV agreement, the two companies partnered in 2014 on an Ebola vaccine using the same technology.

On its own, Janssen said it would continue to prioritize its ongoing hepatitis B programs, assessing postnatal combination therapies within its own portfolio. The company has multiple hepatitis B studies in development.

One of those assets is an RNAi therapeutic developed with Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals. Last year, the two companies presented Phase IIb data from an investigational small interfering RNA (siRNA) that targets all hepatitis B virus (HBV) RNAs, thereby reducing levels of all viral proteins. 

The study showed JNJ-3989 was trending toward positive safety and efficacy. 

Hepatitis B remains a critical global health issue, affecting an estimated 296 million people worldwide. Janssen is determined to discover and develop a functional cure for chronic hepatitis B, which claims the lives of about 900,000 people each year. 

While the two companies have parted ways on HPV and hepatitis B, Janssen and Bavarian Nordic will continue their collaboration in HIV and Ebola.