The Big Red Biotech Blog

ViiV teams with Russian manufacturer

ViiV, GSK and Pfizer’s HIV joint venture, has partnered with Russia’s JSC Binnopharm to boost manufacturing capacity in the country.  The deal extends GSK and Binnopharm's manufacturing pact for GSK range of cervical cancer, pneumoncoccal and rotavirus vaccines.

ViiV teams with Russian manufacturer.

The deal is another example of the recent trend of Western pharma manufacturers partnering with Russian firms to manufacture products in Russia in accordance with the government's Pharma 20-20 plan.  The plan calls for increased investment in Russian manufacturing capability and creation of more highly skilled jobs to support the growth of a local Russian pharma industry to more international standards. The ViiV partners plan full manufacturing transfer of core antiretroviral products from overseas to the Russian Federation.

Independently, Pfizer has further bolstered its Russian manufacturing presence through a deal with Petrovax Pharm.  Petrovax will make Pfizer's pneumococcal vaccine.  One can expect more of these deals in alignment with Russian goverment priorities -- especially if one plans to grow sales in this pharmerging market.

Posted by Bruce Lehr Nov 3rd 2011.

Idenix Pharmaceuticals Gets $20 Million Payment From ViiV for HIV Trial

A few days ago, I posted a piece quoting GSK's Chief Strategy Officer, David Redfern, on possibility that GSK and Pfizer might well spin off its jont venture ViiV Healthcare sometime in the future.  ViiV was formed in November 2009 by the two companies as an independent compnay focused on research, development and commercialization of HIV medicines.

Idenix Pharmaceuticals Announces $20 Million Milestone Payment From ViiV Healthcare For Initiation Of Phase IIb Trial Of '761.

Today, ViiV is paying a $20 M milestone payment to Idenix as its treatment known as '761 is moving into a Phase IIb trial in HIV-infected patients.

 

 

Posted by Bruce Lehr November 24th 2010.

Viva ViiV!

In 2009, GlaxoSmithkline and Pfizer formed a new joint venture, ViiV, to pursue AIDs therapeutics. ViiV Healthcare is majority owned by GSK and signifies the collaboration of the two companies' HIV/AIDS operations into a new business. Now the time may be near where the companies might spin this off in an IPO - depending mainly on how the drugs in its pipeline perform n the clinics.

Speaking at the Reuters Health Summit on Tuesday, Glaxo Chief Strategy Officer David Redfern said: "If it becomes clear to GSK and Pfizer that giving the company even more independence and its own access to the capital markets makes sense, then we would be very open to doing that."

GSK says it is also open to pursuing more of these type of joint arrangements in other therapeutic areas. If succesful, GSK could push more projects into this type of model. See in-Pharma Technologist.com.

Posted by Bruce Lehr November 16th 2010.