On July 26, 2018 Allergan plc (NYSE: AGN) reported its second quarter 2018 performance (Press release, Allergan, JUL 26, 2018, View Source [SID1234527878]). Total second quarter 2018 GAAP net revenues were $4.12 billion, a 2.9 percent increase from the prior year quarter.

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Executive Commentary
"Allergan’s performance in the first half of 2018 demonstrates the strength of our strategy and a sharp focus on execution. We have driven strong growth in our key products and core business, delivered seven successful pivotal clinical trials for our key R&D programs and executed on our capital deployment strategy," said Brent Saunders, Chairman and CEO of Allergan.

"In the second quarter, our core business grew by 10.6 percent, led by Medical Aesthetics, BOTOX Therapeutic, VRAYLAR and LINZESS. Overall non-GAAP revenues rose 2.3 percent, even amid ongoing exclusivity challenges for older products," said Saunders. "At the same time, the positive clinical trial results on programs for migraine, glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration highlight the promise of our business for years to come."

"I’m extremely proud of the global Allergan team for their excellent work in delivering results for our customers and patients. Allergan’s many successes in the first half of 2018 demonstrate our commitment to driving long term value for shareholders."

Second Quarter 2018 Performance
GAAP operating loss in the second quarter 2018 was $467.0 million, including the impact of amortization and impairments. Non-GAAP operating income in the second quarter of 2018 was $1.97 billion, an increase of 4.6 percent versus the prior year quarter, driven by higher revenues and lower operating expenses.

Operating Expenses
Total GAAP Selling, General and Administrative (SG&A) Expense was $1.19 billion for the second quarter 2018, a decrease of 14.9 percent from the prior year quarter. Total non-GAAP SG&A expense decreased to $1.13 billion for the second quarter 2018, compared to $1.22 billion in the prior year period, driven in large part by a reduction in losses due to foreign exchange, as well as lower advertising and promotional expenses. GAAP R&D investment for the second quarter of 2018 was $689.2 million, compared to $489.4 million in the second quarter of 2017. Non-GAAP R&D investment for the second quarter 2018 was $388.9 million, compared to $393.9 million in the prior year quarter.

Asset Sales & Impairments, Net and In-Process R&D Impairments
Allergan incurred in-process research and development impairments in the three months ended June 30, 2018 of $276.0 million primarily due to a decrease in market opportunity based on clinical data relating to an eye care product acquired as part of the Allergan acquisition and timing delays in other non-strategic projects. Asset sales and impairments, net in the three months ended June 30, 2018 of $259.6 million were primarily related to an impairment on a non-strategic dermatology product held for sale based on estimates of current market value. The Company excludes asset sales and impairments, net and in-process research and development impairments from its non-GAAP performance net income attributable to shareholders as well as from Adjusted EBITDA and non-GAAP Operating Income.

Amortization, Other Income (Expense) Net, Tax and Capitalization
Amortization expense for the second quarter 2018 was $1.70 billion, compared to $1.76 billion in the second quarter of 2017. Other income (expense), net of $215.4 million in the three months ended June 30, 2018 was primarily attributed to a gain on selling the Company’s remaining equity stake in Teva as well as a gain on the divestiture of a business previously held for sale. The Company’s GAAP tax rate was 1.1 percent in the second quarter 2018. The Company’s non-GAAP adjusted tax rate was 14.3 percent in the second quarter 2018. As of June 30, 2018, Allergan had cash and marketable securities of $1.70 billion and outstanding indebtedness of $25.35 billion.

SECOND QUARTER 2018 BUSINESS SEGMENT RESULTS

U.S. Specialized Therapeutics
U.S. Specialized Therapeutics net revenues grew 6.5 percent in the second quarter of 2018 from the prior year quarter to $1.83 billion, driven primarily by growth in Medical Aesthetics, including BOTOX Cosmetic, ALLODERM and the addition of CoolSculpting, as well as growth in BOTOX Therapeutic. Demand growth across the U.S. Specialized Therapeutics portfolio was offset in part by lower net selling prices for RESTASIS and decreased revenues in Medical Dermatology due to generic pressure. Segment gross margin for the second quarter of 2018 was 91.9 percent, also impacted by CoolSculpting. Segment contribution for the second quarter 2018 remained strong at $1.29 billion, an increase of 9.1 percent versus the prior year quarter.

Medical Aesthetics

Facial Aesthetics
BOTOX Cosmetic net revenues rose 12.5 percent in the second quarter of 2018 from the prior year quarter to $236.5 million.
JUVÉDERM Collection (defined as JUVÉDERM, VOLUMA and other fillers) net revenues in the second quarter of 2018 were $139.8 million, an increase of 10.8 percent versus the prior year quarter.
Regenerative Medicine
ALLODERM net revenues in the second quarter of 2018 grew 26.6 percent from the prior year quarter to $107.1 million.
Body Contouring
CoolSculpting net revenues (including both CoolSculpting Systems/Applicators and Consumables) in the second quarter of 2018 were $108.3 million. The CoolSculpting acquisition closed on April 28, 2017.
Neurosciences & Urology

BOTOX Therapeutic net revenues in the second quarter of 2018 were $404.7 million, an increase of 16.7 percent versus the prior year quarter.
Eye Care

RESTASIS net revenues in the second quarter of 2018 were $318.2 million, a decrease of 5.4 percent versus the prior year quarter.
ALPHAGAN/COMBIGAN net revenues in the second quarter of 2018 were $98.1 million, compared with $96.4 million in the prior year quarter.
OZURDEX net revenues in the second quarter of 2018 increased 10.8 percent from the prior year quarter to $27.6 million.
U.S. General Medicine
U.S. General Medicine net revenues in the second quarter 2018 were $1.32 billion, a decrease of 7.5 percent versus the prior year quarter, impacted by lower revenues from NAMENDA XR and ESTRACE due to generic competition, offset by strong demand growth from VRAYLAR, LINZESS, Lo LOESTRIN and anti-infectives including AVYCAZ. Segment gross margin for the second quarter of 2018 was 84.7 percent. Selling and marketing expenses in the segment were $254.8 million, a decrease of 11.6 percent versus the prior year quarter, due in part to sales force expense reductions as a result of previous restructurings. Segment contribution for the second quarter 2018 was $828.7 million.

Central Nervous System

VRAYLAR net revenues grew 72.2 percent in the second quarter of 2018 from the prior year quarter to $114.2 million.
VIIBRYD/FETZIMA net revenues in the second quarter of 2018 were $86.7 million, compared with $85.2 million in the prior year quarter.
NAMENDA XR net revenues in the second quarter of 2018 were $3.4 million, versus $118.7 million in the prior year quarter, impacted by loss of patent exclusivity for NAMENDA XR in February 2018.
Gastrointestinal, Women’s Health & Diversified Brands

LINZESS net revenues in the second quarter of 2018 were $191.8 million, an increase of 14.3 percent versus the prior year quarter.
Lo LOESTRIN net revenues in the second quarter of 2018 were $127.8 million, an increase of 13.1 percent versus the prior year quarter.
BYSTOLIC/BYVALSON net revenues in the second quarter of 2018 were $148.1 million, compared to $150.7 million in the prior year quarter.
International
International net revenues in the second quarter of 2018 were $948.9 million, an increase of 8.1 percent versus the prior year quarter excluding foreign exchange impact, driven by growth in Medical Aesthetics, Eye Care and BOTOX Therapeutic. Segment gross margin for the second quarter of 2018 was 85.3 percent. Segment contribution was $529.4 million.

Facial Aesthetics

BOTOX Cosmetic net revenues in the second quarter of 2018 were $171.4 million, an increase of 14.1 percent versus the prior year quarter excluding foreign exchange impact, driven by continued strong growth in Europe and Asia Pacific/Middle East/Africa.
JUVÉDERM Collection net revenues in the second quarter of 2018 were $156.1 million, an increase of 11.2 percent versus the prior year quarter excluding foreign exchange impact, reflecting continued strong growth in Latin America/Canada and Asia Pacific/Middle East/Africa.
Eye Care

LUMIGAN/GANFORT net revenues in the second quarter of 2018 were $100.5 million, an increase of 1.6 percent versus the prior year quarter excluding foreign exchange impact.
OZURDEX net revenues in the second quarter of 2018 were $67.9 million, up 27.5 percent versus the prior year quarter excluding foreign exchange impact, reflecting continued strong growth in all regions.
Botox Therapeutic

BOTOX Therapeutic net revenues in the second quarter of 2018 were $104.6 million, an increase of 8.1 percent versus the prior year quarter excluding foreign exchange impact, reflecting growth in Europe and Latin America/Canada.
NEW SHARE REPURCHASE PROGRAM

Allergan’s Board of Directors has authorized a new $2.0 billion share repurchase program as part of the Company’s capital allocation strategy. Allergan expects to deploy the program over the next 12 months. The Company completed the $2 billion share repurchase that was previously authorized by the board in September 2017.

Allergan reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining investment grade credit ratings and achieving a net debt to adjusted EBITDA ratio of less than 2.5X by the end of 2020.

These actions reflect the Company’s conviction in its strategy and strong future cash flow position, allowing for periodic return of cash to shareholders through dividends and share buybacks while maintaining investment grade ratings and continuing its strategy to pay down debt.

PIPELINE UPDATE

Allergan R&D continues to deliver on its pipeline. Key development highlights included:

Regulatory Milestones & Clinical Updates

Allergan announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Fast Track designation for AGN-241751, an investigational new treatment for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). AGN-241751 is a novel, oral NMDA modulator that recently entered Phase 2 development.
Allergan announced positive topline results in the second of two pivotal phase 3 clinical trials evaluating Ubrogepant, an orally-administered calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor antagonist for the acute treatment of migraine. The results from the ACHIEVE I (UBR-MD-01) and ACHIEVE II (UBR-MD-02) studies support the efficacy, safety and tolerability profile of Ubrogepant. Allergan anticipates filing of a New Drug Application (NDA) to the FDA in 2019.

Allergan announced positive results from a Phase 2b/3 clinical trial evaluating the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of Atogepant, an oral CGRP receptor antagonist in development for migraine prevention. Allergan will continue with its Phase 3 program for Atogepant following discussions with regulatory authorities.
Allergan and Molecular Partners announced two positive Phase 3 clinical trials on Abicipar for the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration. The two identical studies demonstrated that both the 8-week and 12-week treatment regimens met the pre-specified primary endpoint of non-inferiority to Ranibizumab. The filing for Abicipar is planned for the first half of 2019. Allergan will be requesting a meeting with the FDA to discuss our Biologics License Application (BLA) submission.

Allergan announced positive topline Phase 3 results for Bimatoprost SR, the first-in-class sustained-release, biodegradable implant for the reduction of intraocular pressure in patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension. Additional safety data from the study and results from a second Phase 3 study with an identical design will be reported in the first half of 2019. Allergan anticipates filing of an NDA to the FDA in the second half of 2019.
Allergan expanded the REFRESH portfolio with the launch of REFRESH REPAIR Lubricant Eye Drops. The over-the-counter artificial tear formulation is clinically proven to treat the signs and symptoms of dry eye and improve visual performance due to dry eye, while offering patients improved comfort with low incidence of visual disturbances.

SECOND QUARTER 2018 CONFERENCE CALL AND WEBCAST DETAILS
Allergan will host a conference call and webcast today, Thursday, July 26, at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time to discuss its second quarter 2018 results. The dial-in number to access the call is U.S./Canada (877) 251-7980, International (706) 643-1573, and the conference ID is 67781714. A taped replay of the conference call will also be available beginning approximately two hours after the call’s conclusion, and will remain available through 11:30 p.m. Eastern Time on August 26, 2018. The replay may be accessed by dialing (855) 859-2056 or (404) 537-3406 and entering the conference ID 67781714.
On June 1, 2018, Allergan received approval in Japan for JUVÉDERM VOLIFT XC for the treatment of nasolabial folds.

On July 26, 2018 Alkermes plc (Nasdaq: ALKS) reported financial results for the second quarter of 2018 (Press release, Alkermes, JUL 26, 2018, View Source;p=RssLanding&cat=news&id=2360206 [SID1234527877]).

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"Our strong second quarter results were driven by the solid growth of our proprietary commercial products, the continued strength of our royalty and manufacturing business, as well as the receipt of a $50 million payment related to our collaboration with Biogen for BIIB098," commented James Frates, Chief Financial Officer of Alkermes. "The business is performing as planned and today we are reiterating our financial expectations for 2018. As we head into a catalyst-rich second half of the year, we are well-positioned financially to drive value, grow our portfolio of commercial products and advance our late-stage pipeline."

Quarter Ended June 30, 2018 Financial Highlights

Total revenues for the quarter were $304.6 million. This compared to $218.8 million for the same period in the prior year, representing an increase of 39%. Proprietary product net sales for VIVITROL and ARISTADA were $109.8 million for the quarter, reflecting a 24% increase compared to the same period in the prior year.
Net loss according to generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S. (GAAP) was $32.6 million for the quarter, or a basic and diluted GAAP net loss per share of $0.21. This compared to GAAP net loss of $43.0 million, or a basic and diluted GAAP net loss per share of $0.28, for the same period in the prior year.
Non-GAAP net income was $45.6 million for the quarter, or non-GAAP basic and diluted earnings per share of $0.29. This compared to non-GAAP net income of $1.2 million, or non-GAAP basic and diluted earnings per share of $0.01, for the same period in the prior year.
"VIVITROL and ARISTADA continue to demonstrate solid growth and perform in-line with our expectations. Our proprietary commercial portfolio is a key growth driver for Alkermes, and we are confident about the prospects ahead for these important products," stated Jim Robinson, President and Chief Operating Officer of Alkermes. "In particular, the launch of ARISTADA INITIO is an important opportunity to support continuity of care and address a critical unmet need for patients, as ARISTADA is now the first and only long-acting atypical antipsychotic that can be fully dosed on day one for up to two months. ARISTADA INITIO represents a key addition to the treatment paradigm for schizophrenia and provides a platform to further expand utilization of ARISTADA."

Quarter Ended June 30, 2018 Financial Results

Revenues

Net sales of VIVITROL were $76.2 million, compared to $66.1 million for the same period in the prior year, representing an increase of approximately 15%.
Net sales of ARISTADA were $33.6 million, compared to $22.7 million for the same period in the prior year, representing an increase of approximately 48%.
Manufacturing and royalty revenues from RISPERDAL CONSTA, INVEGA SUSTENNA/XEPLION and INVEGA TRINZA/TREVICTA were $85.2 million, compared to $82.2 million for the same period in the prior year.
Manufacturing and royalty revenues from AMPYRA/FAMPYRA1 were $19.7 million, compared to $25.3 million for the same period in the prior year.
License revenues from the collaboration with Biogen for BIIB098 (formerly ALKS 8700) were $48.3 million.
Research and development revenues were $18.3 million, of which $17.2 million related to the collaboration with Biogen for BIIB098.
Costs and Expenses

Operating expenses were $304.7 million, compared to $263.4 million for the same period in the prior year, primarily reflecting increased investment in the commercialization of VIVITROL and ARISTADA.
Other expense during the quarter included a $19.6 million charge due to a decrease in the fair value of contingent consideration, related to Recro Pharma, Inc.’s receipt of a complete response letter from the United States (U.S.) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding the New Drug Application (NDA) for IV Meloxicam.
"With a growing proprietary commercial portfolio and partnered royalty and manufacturing business approaching $1 billion in revenue in 2018, Alkermes is in a strong position to create significant long-term value. As we head into the second half of 2018, we are on the threshold of important value inflections across our development portfolio," said Richard Pops, Chief Executive Officer of Alkermes. "For ALKS 5461 for major depressive disorder, the regulatory review is underway and we are preparing for an Advisory Committee meeting in the fourth quarter. For ALKS 3831 for schizophrenia, enrollment of the ENLIGHTEN-2 pivotal study is complete and we expect topline data in the fourth quarter of 2018. In addition, we are on track to submit the NDA for BIIB098 toward year-end, and we look forward to presenting initial data from the ALKS 4230 phase 1 study and expanding into combination therapy later this year."

Recent Events:

ARISTADA INITIO: Following recent FDA approval, ARISTADA INITIO is now commercially available. The ARISTADA INITIO regimen2 provides physicians with an opportunity to initiate patients onto any dose of ARISTADA on day one.
ALKS 5461: Data on the long-term safety, tolerability and durability of antidepressant effect of ALKS 5461 were presented at the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology (ASCP) annual meetings.
ALKS 3831: The company presented data from the ALKS 3831 preclinical program and phase 1 translational medicine study evaluating the metabolic profile of ALKS 3831 compared to olanzapine.
BIIB098: Alkermes received a $50 million payment from Biogen in June 2018. This payment follows Biogen’s review of preliminary gastrointestinal tolerability data from the ongoing clinical development program for BIIB098.
Financial Expectations for 2018
Alkermes reiterates its financial expectations for 2018 set forth in its press release dated April 26, 2018.

Conference Call
Alkermes will host a conference call and webcast presentation with accompanying slides at 8:30 a.m. ET (1:30 p.m. BST) on Thursday, July 26, 2018, to discuss these financial results and provide an update on the company. The webcast may be accessed on the Investors section of Alkermes’ website at www.alkermes.com. The conference call may be accessed by dialing +1 888 424 8151 for U.S. callers and +1 847 585 4422 for international callers. The conference call ID number is 6037988. In addition, a replay of the conference call will be available from 11:00 a.m. ET (4:00 p.m. BST) on Thursday, July 26, 2018, through 5:00 p.m. ET (10:00 p.m. BST) on Thursday, Aug. 2, 2018, and may be accessed by visiting Alkermes’ website or by dialing +1 888 843 7419 for U.S. callers and +1 630 652 3042 for international callers. The replay access code is 6037988.

On July 26, 2018 Aclaris Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACRS), a dermatologist-led biopharmaceutical company committed to identifying, developing, and commercializing innovative therapies to address significant unmet needs in aesthetic and medical dermatology and immunology, reported that it will report financial results for second quarter 2018 on Friday, August 3, 2018 before U.S. financial markets open (Press release, Aclaris Therapeutics, JUL 26, 2018, View Source [SID1234527876]).

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Management will conduct a conference call at 8:00 AM ET that day to discuss the Company’s financial results and provide a general business update. A live webcast of the event can be accessed on the Events and Presentations page on the Investors section of the Aclaris website at View Source A replay of the webcast will be archived on the Aclaris website following the event.

To participate on the live call, please dial (844) 776-7782 (domestic) or (661) 378-9535 (international), and reference conference ID 8189419 prior to the start of the call.

On July 26, 2018 argenx (Euronext & Nasdaq: ARGX), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a deep pipeline of differentiated antibody-based therapies for the treatment of severe autoimmune diseases and cancer, reported it will host a conference call and audio webcast on Thursday, August 2, 2018 at 3:00 p.m. CEST (9:00 a.m. EDT) to discuss financial results for the first half of 2018 and to provide a second quarter business update (Press release, argenx, JUL 26, 2018, https://www.argenx.com/en-GB/news-internal/argenx-to-host-conference-call-webcast-to-report-second-quarter-business-update/30194/ [SID1234527872]).

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Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

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To participate in the conference call, please select your phone number below, and use the confirmation code 7669735. The webcast may be accessed on the homepage of the argenx website at www.argenx.com or by clicking here.

Dial-in numbers:

Please dial in 5–10 minutes prior to 3 p.m. CET/ 9 a.m. EDT using the number and conference ID below.

Confirmation Code: 7669735

United Kingdom: +44 330 336 9411

National free phone – United Kingdom: 0800 279 7204

USA: +1 929 477 0448

National free phone – USA: 888 599 8686

France: +33 1 76 77 22 57

National free phone – France: 0805 101 278

Belgium: +32 2 400 6926

National free phone – Belgium: 0800 38625

Netherlands: +31 20 703 8261

National free phone – Netherlands: 0800 265 9169

A question and answer session will follow the presentation of the results. Go to www.argenx.com to access the live audio webcast. The archived webcast will also be available (90 days) for replay shortly after the close of the call from the "Downloads" section of the argenx website.

On July 25, 2018 GlaxoSmithKline and 23andMe reported an exclusive four-year collaboration that will focus on research and development of innovative new medicines and potential cures, using human genetics as the basis for discovery (Press release, GlaxoSmithKline, JUL 25, 2018, View Source [SID1234640964]). The collaboration will combine 23andMe’s large-scale genetic resources and advanced data science skills, with the scientific and medical knowledge and commercialisation expertise of GSK. The goal of the collaboration is to gather insights and discover novel drug targets driving disease progression and develop therapies for serious unmet medical needs based on those discoveries.

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Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

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With over 5 million customers, 23andMe offers those with an interest in genetics the opportunity to learn more about their personal genetic profile. 23andMe customers can also choose to participate in research and contribute their information to a unique and dynamic database, which is now the world’s largest genetic and phenotypic resource.

GSK brings extensive drug discovery and development capabilities across a broad range of diseases and modalities, including small molecule, biopharmaceuticals and cell and gene therapies. It will apply its world-class technologies, including access to additional data sources, in-house target validation and genetics expertise, and utilise its manufacturing, commercial operations and scale to support partner activities across research and development.

Dr. Hal Barron, Chief Scientific Officer and President R&D, GSK, said; "We are excited about this unique collaboration as we know that drug targets with genetic validation have a significantly higher chance of ultimately demonstrating benefit for patients and becoming medicines. Partnering with 23andMe, an organisation whose vision and capabilities are transforming the understanding of how genes influence health, will help to shift our research and development organisation to be ‘driven by genetics’, and increase the impact GSK can have on patients."

Anne Wojcicki, CEO and Co-Founder of 23andMe, said; "This collaboration will enable us to deliver on what many customers have been asking for — cures or treatments for diseases. By leveraging the genetic and phenotypic information provided by consenting 23andMe customers and combining it with GSK’s incredible expertise and resources in drug discovery, we believe we can more quickly make treating and curing diseases a reality."

Together, GSK and 23andMe will focus on translating genetic and phenotypic data into R&D activities that will:

Improve target selection to allow safer, more effective ‘precision’ medicines to be discovered. Genetic data can significantly improve our understanding of diseases, their pathways and mechanisms, supporting the design and development of more targeted medicines. Use of genetic data in selecting drug targets can increase both the probability of success in a particular indication and avoid unwanted safety risks.
Support identification of patient subgroups that are more likely to respond to targeted treatments. Scale is critical for the detection of genetic effects in smaller subsets of diseases and patients. With over 80% of 23andMe’s customer base consenting to participate in research, their aggregate and de-identified data could help enable the discovery of a significant number of novel associations from a diverse range of people, which would not otherwise be possible.
Allow more effective identification and recruitment of patients for clinical studies. The ability to identify and invite patients with a particular disease, and in some case specific genetic subgroups, to participate in studies that are relevant to them could significantly shorten recruitment and reduce clinical development timelines, allowing medicines to be delivered to patients more efficiently.
Deal Terms
Under the terms of the deal, GSK and 23andMe have entered into a four-year collaboration with the option to extend for a fifth year under which GSK will become 23andMe’s exclusive collaborator for drug target discovery programmes. During this time, the companies will use 23andMe’s rich database and proprietary statistical analytics to fuel drug target discovery, with the goal of jointly discovering novel targets that can progress into development. A joint GSK-23andMe drug discovery team will use their combined resources to identify new targets and prioritise based on strength of the biological hypothesis, possibility to find a medicine, and clinical opportunity.

To allow work to commence immediately, the deal enables both companies to bring existing early stage programmes within the collaboration. 23andMe currently has a portfolio of early stage therapeutic research programmes across a wide range of disease indications, which will be assessed for inclusion. GSK will contribute its LRRK2 inhibitor, which is currently in preclinical development as a potential treatment for Parkinson’s disease. This programme is expected to significantly progress by leveraging 23andMe’s large base of consented customers who are aware of their LRRK2 variant status as a result of 23andMe’s FDA-authorised genetic health reports. Together, GSK and 23andMe are expected to more effectively target and rapidly recruit patients with defined LRRK2 mutations in order to reach clinical proof of concept.

All activities within the collaboration will initially be co-funded (50%/50%), with either company having certain rights to reduce its funding share for any collaboration programme. It is expected that this collaboration will jointly progress a number of targets per year, with either company able to independently progress additional targets identified within the collaboration. GSK will also have the right to work with 23andMe to analyse 23andMe’s database for validation of GSK’s existing therapeutic portfolio as well as leverage 23andMe’s capabilities for clinical trial recruitment. Both GSK and 23andMe will share in the proceeds from new treatments and medicines arising from the collaboration.

Additionally, GSK has made a $300M equity investment in 23andMe.

Protecting what’s important
23andMe customers are in control of their data. Participating in 23andMe’s research is always voluntary and requires customers to affirmatively consent to participate. For those who do consent, their information will be de-identified, so no individual will be identifiable to GSK.

The continued protection of customers’ data and privacy is the highest priority for both GSK and 23andMe. Both companies have stringent security protections in place when it comes to collecting, storing and transferring information about research participants. 23andMe employs software, hardware and physical security measures to protect the computers where data is stored and information will only be transferred using encryption to offer maximum security.

Scientific engagement
To ensure broader, ongoing engagement within the scientific community, GSK and 23andMe intend to publish results of research conducted within this collaboration, to allow these learnings to be used to guide future research. 23andMe will also continue to provide data and analyses to academics and researchers in areas outside of target discovery.