2030 Global Small Nucleic Acid Drug Market Projected to Reach $25 Billion Amid Surge in Pharma Collaborations

　　【Pharmaceutical Network Industry DynamicsSmall nucleic acid drugs utilize the translation or regulatory functions of small nucleic acid molecules as therapeutic interventions for diseases. Compared to conventional treatments, small nucleic acid drugs can achieve better efficacy through gene suppression, addition, replacement, or editing. According to Frost & Sullivan predictions, the global small nucleic acid drug market size was $362 million in 2020 and is expected to reach $25 billion by 2030. The small nucleic acid drug market in China is projected to be $4 million in 2022 and is anticipated to reach $300 million by 2025, with an annual compound growth rate exceeding 300%.
 

Due to the broad market prospects, nucleic acid therapy has become a new investment hotspot and a track that leading biopharmaceutical companies are betting on. Many pharmaceutical companies have been making strategic moves in this area, not only through independent research and development but also by introducing small nucleic acid drugs through licensing collaborations, thereby accelerating their entry into this field.
 

On January 3, Ribo Life Science announced on its official WeChat account that the company had entered into a collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim to jointly develop innovative small nucleic acid therapies for the treatment of non-alcoholic or metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (NASH/MASH). According to the terms of the collaboration, Suzhou Ribo Life Science Co., Ltd. will receive an upfront payment and is entitled to receive milestone payments based on clinical research, drug registration, and commercial success, as well as tiered sales royalties for marketed products. The total value of the deal exceeds 2 billion US dollars.
 

From the perspective of Ribo Life Science's pipeline in the liver disease field, the company currently has three products under research: RBD1016, targeting HBV-X with indications for hepatitis B and hepatitis D; RBD1073, targeting HSD17B13 with indications for NASH; and RBD5083, indicated for NASH but with the target yet to be disclosed. Industry insiders predict that the small nucleic acid liver disease drug introduced by Boehringer Ingelheim from Ribo Life Science could be either RBD1073 or RBD5083. However, both products are still in the preclinical research stage.
 

News on December 27, 2023: Innovent Bio and SANEGENEBIO announced a strategic collaboration agreement. Both parties will jointly develop the small nucleic acid (siRNA) candidate drug SGB-3908 targeting angiotensinogen (AAGT) for the treatment of hypertension. Meanwhile, Innovent Bio has obtained the option for future development, manufacturing, and commercialization of the drug.
 

It is reported that SGB-3908 is a siRNA drug with independent intellectual property rights developed by SANEGENEBIO, currently in the preparation stage for IND application. According to the cooperation agreement, both parties will jointly advance the development of SGB-3908 to a certain stage. Meanwhile, Innovent Bio will obtain an option and can pay an exercise fee in the future to acquire the rights for the development, production, and commercialization of SGB-3908 within different global scopes. After exercising the option, SANEGENEBIO will also be entitled to subsequent R&D milestone payments, sales milestone payments, as well as tiered royalties based on net sales post-commercialization.
 

The industry believes that the active introduction of small nucleic acid drugs by pharmaceutical companies is due to their optimistic outlook on the drug market. It is worth mentioning that the road to new drug development is full of twists and turns, and many small nucleic acid drugs may also face "termination" during the research and development process.
 

For example, in December 2023, Staidson announced that it would terminate the clinical trial and subsequent development of the STSG-0002 injection. It is reported that the indication for the STSG-0002 injection clinical trial was chronic hepatitis B. This injection is a liver-tropic replication-defective recombinant adeno-associated virus carrying shRNA expression cassettes targeting the P and X regions of the HBV genome. The announcement stated that the reason for terminating the clinical trial of this product was that "the preliminary efficacy data observed so far has not met expectations, and the benefit for subsequent participants to continue receiving the trial drug is limited."
 

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