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news.Sweden's Medivir and emerging US-based bioscience company Epiphany, have signed a license agreement on MIV-606, Medivir's phase II compound with potent activity against varicella zoster virus (VZV), a herpes virus known to cause shingles.
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Under the terms of the agreement Medivir will receive equity in Epiphany, milestone payments of maximally $24.5 million and royalties from world wide sales except the Nordic countries where Medivir has retained the marketing rights for all disease indications. Epiphany will be responsible for the further clinical development of MIV-606.
Phase IIa studies have shown MIV-606 to be efficacious and safe in patients with shingles, caused by the varicella zoster virus (VZV). Medevir predicts that the market for zoster drugs is going to increase with the aging population.
MIV-606 is also a potent inhibitor of other herpes viruses increasingly implicated in various diseases such as mononucleosis, chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple sclerosis and the development of HIV/AIDS.
“Licensing MIV-606 will strengthen Epiphany’s portfolio of projects in the infectious disease area. The broad spectrum of herpes viruses inhibited by MIV-606 offers more than one large market opportunity,” said Dr Fred Volinsky, CEO and president of Epiphany.