CARLSBAD, Calif., Jan. 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: IONS) today announced that GSK has initiated a Phase 1 study of IONIS-HBV-LRx. Ionis earned a $1.5 million milestone payment from GSK related to the initiation of this study. IONIS-HBV-LRx, which was previously referred to as ISIS-GSK6-LRx, is a drug Ionis is developing with GSK for the treatment of patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV).