Another must-have oncolytic virus asset for big pharma

Boehringer Ingelheim struck a deal with the oncolytic virus company Viratherapeutics in 2016, and it has clearly seen something extraordinary in the intervening two years. Otherwise it would be difficult to understand why it would today shell out €210m ($245m) to exercise an option to buy out Viratherapeutics without having seen a scrap of clinical data. It is clear that big pharma sees oncolytic viruses as an increasingly important part of the anticancer combination armoury. The previous deal, in February, saw Merck & Co pay a 184% premium to take out Viralytics for $394m, though unlike Viratherapeutics this company had a phase II asset (Merck & Co makes biggest oncolytic virus bet since Amgen in 2011, February 21, 2018). True, Amgen’s 2011 buyout of the Imlygic originator Biovex for $424m is a long way from being declared a masterstroke, but the potential of oncolytic viruses in immuno-oncology combinations is now increasingly being talked about – specifically in terms of turning “cold” tumours “hot” – and indeed Boehringer says this dual approach is central to its cancer immunology research strategy. Expect increased interest in other oncolytic virus companies, such as Targovax, Transgene and Oncolytics.