Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson (J&J, NYSE: JNJ), announced last week its acquisition of development, manufacturing, and commercialization rights for the gene therapy botaretigene sparoparvovec from MeiraGTx Holdings (NASDAQ: MGTX) for the treatment of X-linked retinitis pigmentosa (XLRP). Janssen will pay an upfront fee of USD 65 million, along with potential milestone and manufacturing technology transfer payments totaling up to USD 350 million.
The two companies have been collaborating on the development of botaretigene sparoparvovec, which is currently in a Phase III clinical trial and is being prioritized for orphan drug designation in both Europe and the U.S.
Botaretigene sparoparvovec has shown promising results, demonstrating improvements in retinal sensitivity, visual function, and overall functional vision for patients with XLRP—a genetic disorder caused by mutations in the eye-specific RPGR gene (RPGR open reading frame 15).- Flcube.com
