Boehringer Ingelheim exercises option to buy ViraTherapeutics, boosting viral-based approach to treating cancer

Boehringer Ingelheim announced Thursday that it has acquired all shares of ViraTherapeutics for a total of 210 million euros ($244 million), with the price based on an option and share purchase agreement signed between the companies in 2016. ViraTherapeutics is developing oncolytic viral therapies, with its lead candidate VSV-GP under investigation alone and in combination with other drugs.

According to Boehringer Ingelheim, VSV-GP has shown promising results in preclinical models, especially in combination with key immune modulatory principles that the company is developing. The German drugmaker added that using a dual approach, specifically combining immuno-oncology approaches with tumour cell-directed treatments, is central to its cancer immunology research strategy.

"Our approach is rooted in transforming 'cold' tumours – or immunologically inactive tumours that are not responsive to the checkpoint blockers – to 'hot' tumours – those that are most susceptible to immune system attack," remarked Michel Pairet, head of R&D at the German drugmaker. Boehringer Ingelheim noted that ViraTherapeutics will operate in Innsbruck, Austria as a distinct unit of its discovery research organisation.

Earlier this year, Johnson & Johnson's Janssen Biotech unit agreed to acquire BeneVir Biopharm for potentially over $1 billion, gaining the latter's T-Stealth platform to develop engineered oncolytic viruses. Meanwhile, Merck & Co. signed a deal in February to buy Viralytics for around $394 million, obtaining full rights to Cavatak, a formulation of the oncolytic virus coxsackievirus Type A21.

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