Johnson & Johnson Closes $1.75 Bln Acquisition Of Alios BioPharma

(RTTNews) - Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) Friday announced the completion of its $1.75 billion acquisition of Alios BioPharma Inc, a privately held clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing therapies for viral diseases.

Alios BioPharma will now become part of the infectious diseases therapeutic area of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Cos. of Johnson & Johnson. The deal includes Alios BioPharma's portfolio of potential therapeutics for viral infections with the promising compound AL-8176, an orally administered antiviral therapy currently in Phase 2 studies for the treatment of infants with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). RSV is the last of the major pediatric diseases that currently has no effective therapy.

The acquisition also includes two early-stage compounds for hepatitis C (HCV) that could potentially augment Janssen's existing HCV portfolio.