Lyndra Therapeutics and Gilead Sciences to Collaborate on Development of Ultra-Long-Acting HIV Therapeutics

WATERTOWN, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Lyndra Therapeutics, the company making daily pills a thing of the past, has announced a partnership with Gilead Sciences, Inc. to develop and commercialize ultra-long-acting oral HIV therapies. Gilead will have exclusive rights to Lyndra’s therapeutics platform for ultra-long-acting formulations related to HIV.

Lyndra’s ultra-long-acting dosage form has the potential to improve medication adherence by allowing patients to take a pill once a week, or even less frequently, rather than daily.

“Gilead has led the way in HIV prevention and treatment by focusing on reducing pill burden through the development of single-tablet oral regimens for their therapies, addressing an epidemic that affects nearly 40 million people globally*,” said Amy Schulman, CEO and co-founder of Lyndra Therapeutics. “At Lyndra, our commitment to HIV is foundational and we are delighted to continue to work with strong research and development partners such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and, now, Gilead.”

“Gilead is committed to advancing therapies for all people living with or at risk for HIV, including potential strategies for long-acting regimens that would reduce pill burden. This early partnership with Lyndra is the latest step in our ongoing investment in HIV research and development,” said John McHutchison, AO, MD, Chief Scientific Officer and Head of Research and Development, Gilead Sciences.

This partnership announcement comes just months after Gilead joined Lyndra’s oversubscribed $60.9 million Series B financing round.

*Global HIV & AIDS statistics – 2018 fact sheet, UNAIDS.

About Lyndra Therapeutics’ Platform

Lyndra Therapeutics’ orally administered dosage form is designed to deliver sustained, steady-state release of one or more drugs for up to a week or longer while temporarily residing in the stomach. Taking a single, long-acting pill weekly instead of daily or more often can improve medication adherence and health outcomes while reducing burdens on individuals and their caregivers. Inside a familiar capsule is a star-shaped formulation with active pharmaceutical ingredients that are released consistently over time. The formulation, which is designed to open once inside the stomach, eventually exits safely via the gastrointestinal tract, like undigested food.

About Lyndra Therapeutics

Lyndra Therapeutics aims to improve healthcare outcomes through oral, ultra-long-acting, sustained-release therapies that change how people take medicines. Instead of taking medications daily or more frequently, doses would be administered weekly or monthly, improving medication adherence for better health outcomes and lower healthcare costs. Delivering controlled amounts of medicine would also reduce side effects and improve drug efficacy. For more information, visit the company’s website www.lyndra.com.

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