|
 Achillion will be eligible for milestone payments of up to $1.1
billion related to the development, regulatory approval and sales of
the drugs.
Johnson & Johnson will also invest $225 million in Achillion in
return for about 18.4 million unregistered shares at $12.25 per
share.
Achillion is developing three hepatitis C drugs -- ACH-3102 and
sovaprevir in mid-stage trials and ACH-3422 in early-stage trials.
ACH-3102, which was granted fast-track designation in the United
States, will be part of the oral regimen that could shorten
treatment time to six weeks by 2018, the companies said on a call
with analysts.
Gilead Sciences Inc's recently approved pill Harvoni requires at
least eight weeks of treatment. The pill combines two of Gilead's
other drugs - ledipasvir and sovaldi.
The fight against hepatitis C has made huge gains in recent years. A
couple of years ago, patients needed 48 weeks of treatment with
drugs that had harsh side effects. They cured only about 40 percent
of patients.
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The new all-oral treatments seek to replace injectable interferon
and its flu-like side effects as well as an older drug called
ribavirin that caused anemia and other problems.
Achillion's shares closed at $10.68 on the Nasdaq on Tuesday.
(Reporting by Amrutha Penumudi in Bengaluru; Editing by Don
Sebastian)
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