AbbVie and Scripps Research Announce Collaboration to Develop Antiviral Treatments for COVID-19

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Mar 15, 2022, 08:00 ET

NORTH CHICAGO, Ill., March 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) and Scripps Research, an independent, non-profit biomedical research and drug discovery institute, today announced a global collaboration to develop potential novel, direct-acting antiviral treatments for COVID-19.

"Constant change is something we've experienced throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, with the emergence of many new variants and the evolving needs of treatment options to combat more contagious, aggressive and severe strains of the virus," said Tom Hudson, M.D., senior vice president, R&D, chief scientific officer, AbbVie. "We are committed to bringing differentiated, next generation oral antiviral treatments to patients and ensuring broad access to address the diverse treatment needs around the world."

The initial SARS-CoV-2 research program at Calibr, the drug discovery and development division of Scripps Research, was supported by funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

"We believe our SARS-CoV-2 research program has the potential to impact significantly the ongoing gaps in patient needs to move from pandemic to endemic COVID-19," said Peter Schultz, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer, Scripps Research. "We are excited to partner with AbbVie who brings both the scientific expertise and the manufacturing capabilities to accelerate the development of this program."

Closing of the transaction remains subject to satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including applicable regulatory approvals.

About AbbVie
AbbVie's mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people's lives across several key therapeutic areas: immunology, oncology, neuroscience, eye care, virology, women's health and gastroenterology, in addition to products and services across its Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.

For more information about AbbVie's COVID-19 research and discovery efforts, visit https://www.abbvie.com/our-science/covid-19-research-development.html.

About Scripps Research
Scripps Research is an independent, nonprofit research institute ranked the #1 stand-alone biomedical research institute in the US. Our drug discovery and development division, Calibr, works hand-in-hand with scientists across disciplines to accelerate the delivery of innovative, new medicines to patients for a host of diseases. Scripps Research also trains the next generation of scientists at our Skaggs Graduate School, consistently named among the top 10 US programs for chemistry and biological sciences. Learn more at www.scripps.edu.

Forward-Looking Statements
Some statements in this news release are, or may be considered, forward-looking statements for purposes of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "project" and similar expressions, among others, generally identify forward-looking statements. AbbVie cautions that these forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, failure to realize the expected benefits from AbbVie's acquisition of Allergan plc ("Allergan"), failure to promptly and effectively integrate Allergan's businesses, competition from other products, challenges to intellectual property, difficulties inherent in the research and development process, adverse litigation or government action, changes to laws and regulations applicable to our industry and the impact of public health outbreaks, epidemics or pandemics, such as COVID-19. Additional information about the economic, competitive, governmental, technological and other factors that may affect AbbVie's operations is set forth in Item 1A, "Risk Factors," of AbbVie's 2021 Annual Report on Form 10-K, which has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as updated by its subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. AbbVie undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking statements as a result of subsequent events or developments, except as required by law.

SOURCE AbbVie