Janssen Research & Development, LLC, one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, is discontinuing the Phase III development program for fulranumab in osteoarthritis pain. This decision was based on strategic portfolio prioritization and was not based on any emerging safety concerns from the Phase III clinical studies with fulranumab. Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., an affiliated company, is terminating its licensing agreement with Amgen Inc. for fulranumab and is returning all program rights back to Amgen.

Fulranumab is part of an experimental class of non-opioid biological medicines called anti-nerve growth factor compounds. In 2008, Amgen Inc. licensed fulranumab to Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., now known as Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. The neuroscience therapeutic area of Janssen Research & Development, LLC continues to pursue discovery and development programs in Alzheimer's disease and serious mental illness.

Source: Johnson & Johnson