Dive Brief:
- Trek Therapeutics is in-licensing MIV-802, an antiviral hepatitis C (HCV) candidate, from Sweden-based Medivir. The agreement includes development and commercialization and has a global purview, with the exception of China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macai. In addition, BioPhausia, a subsidiary of Medivir, has the option to commercialize MOV-802-containing products in the Nordic countries, as well as certain areas of Western Europe.
- MIV-802 is a pangenotypic nucleotide polymerase inhibitor of the HCV NS5B polymerase.
- Although specific numbers have not been disclosed, Trek has agreed to pay Medivir specific milestone payments as clinical development unfolds, in addition to royalties, which will be in the 'mid-teens.'
Dive Insight:
The new partnership between Cambridge, MA-based Trek and Medivir makes perfect sense. Trek is a for-profit company organized as a public benefits company that seeks to profitably develop drugs for infectious diseases for a global population---at affordable prices.
As for Medivir, this company's granular focus on protease inhibitor design and nucleotide/nucleoside science makes it an ideal co-development partner in the hepatitis C space. "We are pleased to have Trek Therapeutics as a partner with their deep knowledge of HCV drug development, and their mission to make competitive treatments accessible to world populations," said Niklas Prager, CEO of Medivir.
Even with the direct-acting oral antiviral treatment options available from Gilead, AbbVie and Merck, there continue to be numerous unmet medical needs associated with the treatment of HCV. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are 185 million HCV-infected individuals worldwide, including 170 million who are chronically infected. Most of those who are infected reside in middle-income countries.
Development of new HCV combination therapies is critical, as antiviral resistance becomes more prevalent in diseases like HCV, HIV and hepatitis B. Trek Therapeutics is well aware of those challenges and has focused on addressing resistance before it occurs.
"Nucleotides are essential components of combination regimens to provide a short duration of treatment with low levels of resistance. We are excited to develop MIV-802 as part of a highly-effective combination treatment to address HCV.” said Ann Kwong, CEO of Trek Therapeutics.