AbbVie, Harvard form $30 million research deal

AbbVie and Harvard University have entered into a $30 million research alliance with the goal of developing new therapies for viral infections.

In addition to the money, which AbbVie will provide over three years, the North Chicago drugmaker’s scientists and facilities will help advance research and early-stage development efforts at Harvard Medical School, AbbVie announced today. The deal focuses on infections caused by coronaviruses and those that can affect the blood’s ability to clot, such as Ebola.

“A key element of having a strong R&D organization is collaboration with top academic institutions, like Harvard Medical School, to develop therapies for patients who need them most,” Dr. Michael Severino, vice chairman and president at AbbVie, said in a statement. “There is much to learn about viral diseases and the best way to treat them. By harnessing the power of collaboration, we can develop new therapeutics sooner to ensure the world is better prepared for future potential outbreaks.”

Separately, AbbVie is backing an effort by researchers to develop an antibody therapy that aims to prevent and treat COVID-19.

It announced in June that it had entered into a deal with Cambridge, Mass.-based biopharmaceutical company Harbour BioMed, and Utrecht University and Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands to create a COVID-19 drug using human antibodies, the infection-fighting proteins that develop after recovering from the virus.