J&J Acquires Alios BioPharma

In a bid to strengthen its virology portfolio, Johnson & Johnson will pay $1.75 billion in cash for South San Francisco-based Alios BioPharma. With the purchase, J&J gains AL-8176, a small molecule in Phase II studies as a treatment for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a common infection that can require hospitalization for infants. J&J says AL-8176 complements its own efforts in RSV. But stock analysts note that the big pharma firm also gains two early-stage hepatitis C virus (HCV) compounds. J&J already markets the HCV treatment Olysio, which in the first half of 2014 brought in nearly $1.2 billion in sales.