Halozyme and ViiV Healthcare enter license agreement for ENHANZE

The global specialist HIV company ViiV Healthcare has entered a global collaboration and license agreement with Halozyme for ENHANZE.

Halozyme’s drug delivery technology provides the opportunity to administer large volume subcutaneous injections that may enable dosing intervals of every three months and up to six months or longer for ViiV’s pipeline of HIV medicines.

The technology provides ViiV Healthcare with more opportunities to develop ultra long- acting medicines (dosing intervals of three months or longer) with its long-acting portfolio and pipeline products.

Plans are underway to initiate the first experiments with the technology by the end of 2021 for investigational, long-acting cabotegravir for prevention of HIV, which is currently administered every two months.

ViiV Healthcare will make a payment of $40 million to Halozyme Under the terms of the agreement for the exclusive license to four HIV small and large molecule targets and is obligated to make potential future payments of up to $175 million

This payment will be used in development and commercial milestones per target, subject to achievement of specified development and commercial milestones, including certain specified sales milestones. Halozyme will also be entitled to receive mid-single digit royalties on sales of commercialised medicines using the technology.

The company Halozyme has has licensed its technology to 11 pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, for potential use in oncology, autoimmune disease, rare disease and infectious disease.

Kimberly Smith, M.D., MPH, Head of Research & Development at ViiV Healthcare said:

“Many people living with HIV and those vulnerable to HIV tell us that for a variety of reasons, taking medicine every day is a challenge, and we have listened to them,”

“We believe long-acting medicines are the future of HIV therapies and will help address these unmet needs. Our collaboration with Halozyme will keep us at the forefront of developing additional, innovative new options for HIV treatment and prevention as we work towards reducing the burden of HIV treatment.”