Additional Relevant Details The agreement, facilitated by Johnson & Johnson Innovation, Janssen Business Development, follows the recent acquisition of Novira Therapeutics, Inc. and collaborations with Ichor Medical Systems, Inc. and the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, to address the significant unmet medical need inflicted by HBV. Chronic Hepatitis B is a potentially fatal liver disease with approximately 60 percent of hepatocellular carcinoma cases attributed to infection with the Hepatitis B virus. Current therapies are unable to cure the infection, requiring most people to endure lifelong treatment. More than 350 million people are infected with HBV worldwide.