Royalty Pharma and J&J partner to develop autoimmune treatment
March 30 (Reuters) - Royalty Pharma RPRX.O said on Monday it has signed a $500 million research and development agreement with Johnson & Johnson JNJ.N to advance an experimental antibody treatment for autoimmune diseases.
Shares of Royalty Pharma were up 1.4% in premarket trading, while those of J&J rose nearly 0.7%.
The co-funding agreement, covering 2026 and 2027, will support the development of JNJ-4804, an experimental co-antibody therapy that targets IL 23 and TNF, two immune pathways involved in autoimmune inflammation.
Royalty Pharma CEO Pablo Legorreta said the drug holds promise for patients with chronic immune-mediated diseases and that the agreement builds on the company's investments in immunology, including earlier medicines targeting TNF.
The biopharmaceutical investor receives royalties on more than 35 commercial products, including Biogen's Tysabri and J&J's Tremfya - both targeting autoimmune disorders.
