Hansoh Pharma Enters $1.3B+ siRNA Collaboration with Silence Therapeutics

By | Pharma Observer

On October 15, Hansoh Pharma entered into an exclusive license and collaboration agreement with Silence Therapeutics plc, under which both parties will leverage the latter's exclusive mRNAi GOLD™ platform to co-develop siRNAs targeting three specific targets. According to the announcement, the collaboration involves a total value exceeding $1.3 billion. Notably, just three days prior, Hansoh Pharma announced a collaboration worth over $450 million with OliX Pharmaceuticals to discover, develop, and commercialize siRNA therapeutics for key targeted indications in China.

Screenshot source: Reference [1]

RNA interference (RNAi) is a universal mechanism within living cells that utilizes non-coding RNA to regulate whether a specific gene is active and its level of activity. The discovery of this mechanism was awarded the 2006 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. The effector molecules of the RNAi mechanism are various types of short double-stranded RNAs. Some of these target specific genes and inhibit their expression in a sequence-dependent manner, and are known as small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). siRNAs can be designed, synthesized, and developed into therapeutics based on the sequence information of any gene. Furthermore, siRNA therapeutics can inhibit the expression of any target gene, regardless of whether it was previously classified as "druggable" or "undruggable".

Silence Therapeutics is a biotechnology company dedicated to developing next-generation therapeutics that harness the body's natural RNA interference (RNAi) mechanism to suppress the expression of specific target genes. These target genes are believed to play a role in the pathology of diseases with significant unmet medical needs. Silence Therapeutics' proprietary mRNAi GOLD™ platform can be used to generate siRNAs designed to precisely target and silence disease-related genes in the liver.

According to the announcement, for the first two of the three target products under this collaboration, Hansoh Pharma will hold an exclusive option to license the rights in China (including Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan) upon completion of Phase 1 clinical trials, while Silence Therapeutics will retain exclusive rights in all regions outside this territory. Silence Therapeutics will be responsible for all activities prior to the exercise of the licensing option and will lead the post-Phase 1 clinical development of the first two targets outside this territory. For the third target, Hansoh Pharma will obtain an exclusive option to license global rights upon filing of the Investigational New Drug (IND) application. Hansoh Pharma will be responsible for all development activities following the exercise of the option for the third target.

Silence Therapeutics will receive a $16 million upfront payment from Hansoh Pharma and will be eligible to receive up to $1.3 billion upon achieving additional development, regulatory, and commercial milestones. Silence Therapeutics will also receive royalties in the range of approximately 10% to 15% on net sales of Hansoh Pharma's products.

According to the announcement, Hansoh Pharma believes that, leveraging Silence Therapeutics’ leading position in siRNA therapy development and its decades of scientific and technical expertise, it sees tremendous opportunities to utilize the mRNAi GOLD™ platform to develop and deliver superior precision medicines for patients in China and globally.

References

[1] Entering into a Licence Agreement with Silence Therapeutics. Retrieved Oct 15, 2021, from https://www1.hkexnews.hk/listedco/listconews/sehk/2021/1015/2021101500016_c.pdf

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