Saturday, February 02, 2019
MeiraGTx Holdings plc, a vertically integrated, clinical stage gene therapy company, today announced that it has entered into a broad strategic collaboration with Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Janssen), one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, to develop and commercialize gene therapies for the treatment of inherited retinal diseases (IRDs).
Under the agreement, the two companies will collaborate in the clinical development of MeiraGTx’s leading IRD pipeline, including product candidates for achromatopsia (ACHM) caused by mutations in either CNGB3 or CNGA3 and X-linked retinitis pigmentosa (XLRP). In addition, MeiraGTx and Janssen are entering into a research collaboration covering MeiraGTx’s pipeline of pre-clinical programs for IRDs. The two companies are also entering into a research collaboration to further develop AAV manufacturing technology as well as clinical and commercial manufacturing supply agreements for the clinical and research programs.
“We are very excited to collaborate with Janssen, a leader in the world of innovation and the creation of new medicines. By combining Janssen’s extensive clinical, regulatory and commercial expertise and global reach with MeiraGTx’s deep experience in gene therapy development and manufacturing, we aim to accelerate the development of our pipeline of potential IRD gene therapies to address the needs of patients globally,” said Alexandria Forbes, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of MeiraGTx. “This important collaboration supports our leading position in gene therapy development and manufacturing and reaffirms our commitment to advancing a broad portfolio of breakthrough gene therapies that may improve the lives of patients suffering from IRDs worldwide.”
