Aligos Therapeutics Files Response to Janssen Biopharma Lawsuit and Lodges Counterclaims Alleging Unfair Competition and Promissory Fraud

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Sept. 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aligos Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALGS), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing novel therapeutics to address unmet medical needs in viral and liver diseases, has filed a response to the complaint of, and counterclaims against, Janssen Biopharma in California State Superior Court for the County of San Mateo.

The response to Janssen’s complaint specifically identifies the decades old publicly available information (published patents and scientific literature), previous work experience, publications and patents by the Aligos co-founders at other oligonucleotide companies towards the first discovery of oligonucleotides (ASO and siRNA) targeting hepatitis B virus (HBV), as well as the licenses Aligos obtained from universities and biotechnology companies – all of which were utilized as the basis of Aligos’ HBV portfolio. The response further outlines and documents that all work was performed by Aligos employees after leaving Janssen Biopharma.

The counterclaims against Janssen allege that Janssen has engaged in unfair competition and promissory fraud. Aligos’ co-founders, Lawrence M. Blatt, Ph.D., MBA, and Leonid Beigelman, Ph.D., joined Aligos in filing the counterclaims. The and can be found at their respective hyperlinks.

“I encourage everyone interested in this matter to read our response and counterclaims,” said Lawrence M. Blatt, Ph.D., MBA, CEO, Chairman and co-founder of Aligos. “The facts are on Aligos’ side, and we will continue to defend ourselves from the baseless allegations made by Janssen.”

About Aligos

Aligos Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company that was founded in 2018 with the mission to become a world leader in the treatment of viral infections and liver diseases. Aligos is focused on the discovery and development of targeted antiviral therapies for chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and coronaviruses as well as leveraging its expertise in liver diseases to create targeted therapeutics for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Aligos’ strategy is to harness the deep expertise and decades of drug development experience its team has in liver disease, particularly viral hepatitis, to rapidly advance its pipeline of potentially best-in-class molecules.

Forward-Looking Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements in this press release that are not historical facts may be considered “forward-looking statements,” including without limitation statements regarding Aligos’ continuing to defend itself from the allegation made by Janssen. Forward-looking statements are typically, but not always, identified by the use of words such as “may,” “will,” “would,” “believe,” “intend,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “expect,” and other similar terminology indicating future results. Such forward looking statements are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause our development programs, future results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include without limitation risks and uncertainties inherent in the drug development process, including Aligos’s clinical-stage of development, the process of designing and conducting clinical trials, the regulatory approval processes, the timing of regulatory filings, the challenges associated with manufacturing drug products, Aligos’s ability to successfully establish, protect and defend its intellectual property, other matters that could affect the sufficiency of Aligos’s capital resources to fund operations, reliance on third parties for manufacturing and development efforts, changes in the competitive landscape and the effects on our business of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic and the developing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. For a further description of the risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, as well as risks relating to the business of Aligos in general, see Aligos’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 4, 2022 and its future periodic reports to be filed or submitted with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by law, Aligos undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, events or circumstances, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

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