As it faces generic competition for its respiratory blockbuster Advair (fluticasone propionate/salmeterol), GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has looked to Ionis Pharmaceuticals for its next revenue source by exercising its option to license two of its antisense therapies, IONIS-HBVRx and IONIS-HBV-LRx, for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B virus infection. The deal comes just two years after GSK underwent a pipeline reorganisation which led to the abandonment of its rare disease pipeline and as a result, the return of two Ionis drugs in 2017.