Pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson agreed yesterday to buy Alios BioPharma, a US-based developer of drugs to treat viral diseases, for $1.75bn in cash.
Exiting investors include Novo Ventures, SR One, Roche Venture Fund and Novartis Ventures, which respectively act as the respective corporate venturing arms of pharmaceutical firms Novo, GlaxoSmithKline, Roche and Novartis.
Alios had raised $32m in a 2009 series A round, which was followed by a $41m series B in April this year.
As part of the deal, Johnson & Johnson acquired the portfolio of potential treatments for viral infections, which belong to Alios, including AL-8176, an antiviral therapeutic that would be used on respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
William N. Hait, global head of research and development for Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceutical, said: “We are excited that this acquisition will enable us to explore treatment options for a number of viral infections, including RSV, the last of the major pediatric diseases with no available preventive therapy.
“AL-8176 complements our existing early stage portfolio for RSV which aims to prevent and treat this disease, the leading cause of acute lower respiratory infection in children under the age of five.”