Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company, has acquired XO1 Ltd., a privately held virtual biopharma company founded to develop the anti-thrombin antibody ichorcumab. Financial terms were not disclosed.
 
Ichorcumab is a recombinant human antibody developed to mimic the activity of a human antibody designed to produce an anticoagulated state without predisposition to bleeding.
 
XO1 licensed the technology for Ichorcumab from Cambridge Enterprise to take its development towards the clinic. XO1 was established by Index Ventures as an asset centric company, a model advanced by Index, via a fund launched in 2012 in which Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, Inc. is an investor.
 
"Ichorcumab provides an excellent complement to the Janssen cardiovascular portfolio," said Peter DiBattiste, M.D., global development head, Cardiovascular, Janssen Research & Development, LLC. "Given Janssen's leadership in the fields of anticoagulation and biologics, we are well positioned to explore the potential of this next generation anticoagulant."
 
The opportunity was identified and facilitated through Johnson & Johnson Innovation, London. "This acquisition illustrates how our global innovation strategy enables a local, hands-on approach that supports the regional life science ecosystems, provides Janssen a window on the most exciting science around the world and provides access to potentially breakthrough products in areas of strategic interest," said Patrick Verheyen, head, Johnson & Johnson Innovation, London.