ViiV Healthcare Acquires Bristol-Myers Squibbs R&D HIV Assets

GlaxoSmithKline PLC has announced that ViiV Healthcare, the global specialist HIV company majority owned by GSK, with Pfizer Inc. and Shionogi Limited as shareholders, has completed two previously announced transactions with Bristol-Myers Squibb to acquire its late-stage HIV R&D assets and its portfolio of preclinical and discovery stage HIV research assets.

The completion of both transactions follows antitrust approval by the relevant regulatory authorities in the US, with the integration process beginning immediately.

Dominique Limet, CEO, ViiV Healthcare, said: "As a result of these transactions, ViiV Healthcare now has one of the most robust HIV pipelines in the industry. The assets that we have acquired complement our existing portfolio and could lead to new medicines and combinations addressing a broad range of treatment and prevention needs of people living with HIV."

Under the terms of the transactions, ViiV Healthcare acquired late-stage HIV R&D assets from Bristol-Myers Squibb for an initial upfront payment of $317 million followed by development and first commercial sale milestones of up to $518M, and tiered royalties on sales. ViiV Healthcare also acquired Bristol-Myers Squibb's preclinical and discovery stage HIV research business for an upfront payment of $33 million, followed by development and first commercial sales milestones of up to $587M, and further consideration contingent on future sales performance.

ViiV Healthcare has acquired the following:

- Late stage assets, including fostemsavir (BMS-663068), an attachment inhibitor currently in phase III development for heavily treatment experienced patients. Fostemsavir has received a Breakthrough Therapy Designation from the FDA and is expected to be filed for regulatory approval in 2018. The second late stage asset is a maturation inhibitor (BMS-955176), and is currently in phase IIb development for both
treatment-naive and treatment experienced patients. A back-up maturation inhibitor candidate (BMS-986173) is also included in the purchase.
- Assets in preclinical and discovery phases of development including a novel biologic (BMS-986197) with a triple mechanism of action, an additional maturation inhibitor, an allosteric integrase inhibitor and a capsid inhibitor.