Theravance Biopharma Ireland agrees potential $1bn deal

Dublin-based Theravance Biopharma Ireland, has signed a new deal with pharma giant Janssen to develop a treatment for inflammatory intestinal diseases that could see it earning as much as $1 billion (€815,000) in payments.

The company, whose parent is listed on the Nasdaq and which recently announced plans to take on additional staff in the Republic, has agreed a co-development and commercialisation agreement for TD-1473, a treatment for conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

Under the terms of the partnership with Janssen Biotech, Theravance is to undertake a Phase 2 study in Crohn's disease and a Phase 2b/3 induction and maintenance study in ulcerative colitis.

TD-1473 is an orally-available Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor designed to act directly at the site of inflammation in the intestinal wall, thereby limiting systemic exposure.

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As part of the new deal, Theravance is to receive an upfront payment of $100 million and will be eligible to receive up to an additional $900 million in potential payments. It also has the option to co-commercialise TD-1473 in the US while Janssen would have exclusive commercialisation rights elsewhere.

"The opportunity to apply Janssen's unrivalled expertise in inflammatory bowel disease at this stage of the development of TD-1473 is very exciting," said Brett Haumann, chief medical officer at the Theravance Biopharma group.

‘Impressive record’

“Janssen has an extremely impressive record in developing therapies using efficient clinical designs and has developed unparalleled biomarker datasets that can inform patient stratification to optimise clinical response to TD-1473. We look forward to collaborating together with the team at Janssen to successfully develop this promising treatment for patients with ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, and other intestinal inflammatory diseases,” he added.

Established in 2013, San Francisco-headquartered Theravance is a biopharmaceutical company with one approved product, Vibativ, and a pipeline of internally discovered product candidates and strategic collaborations with other companies, including Glaxo Smith Kline.

Janssen meanwhile recently announced plans to invest more than €300 million in an extension at its manufacturing plant in Rignaskiddy, Co Cork, in a move that will lead to an additional 200 jobs.