Johnson & Johnson has completed its acquisition of Novira Therapeutics, Inc., a privately held, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing therapies for curative treatment of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. The transaction was originally announced on November 4, 2015. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Novira Therapeutics, Inc. is now part of the Infectious Diseases & Vaccines Therapeutic Area of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. The acquisition includes Novira's portfolio of antivirals, including its lead candidate, NVR 3-778 which is in Phase Ib clinical trials. NVR 3-778 is an investigational small molecule, direct-acting antiviral, for oral administration in patients with HBV that inhibits the HBV core or capsid protein. HBV core is a promising drug target since it is involved in multiple activities required for viral replication and persistence.

HBV, which affects more than 350 million people worldwide, is a potentially fatal liver disease with approximately 60% of hepatocellular carcinoma cases being attributed to infection with the hepatitis B virus.

Source: Johnson & Johnson