Alios Purchase Boosts J&J Anti-Infectives Game, Especially Hep C

A pair of promising preclinical nucleoside polymerase inhibitors for hepatitis C might be the driving force behind J&J’s $1.75 billion buyout of Alios, even though the privately held biotech’s most advanced candidate, ALS-8176, in Phase II for respiratory syncytial virus, also is a fit for J&J’s anti-infective strategy.

Johnson & Johnson sees Alios BioPharma Inc. as a perfect fit for advancing its anti-infective drug-development strategy, with a Phase II candidate for respiratory syncytial virus and a pair of preclinical hepatitis C compounds that bolster the commercial viability of the pharma’s hepatitis C blockbuster Olysio (simeprevir).

The twin primary areas of focus for Janssen Pharmaceutical Cos.’s drug development strategy in infectious diseases are respiratory infection and hepatitis, William Hait, global head of R&D for the...

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