Roche Secures Global Exclusive License for SanegeneBio's RNAi Therapy in $1.7 Billion Deal
SANEGENEBIO
Small Nucleic Acid Drug Developer
February 2, 2026Roche announced a total deal worth $1.7 billion (approximately RMB 11.8 billion) to acquireSANEGENEBIOGlobal Exclusive License for an RNA Interference (RNAi) Therapy!
SANEGENEBIO, a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the development of innovative RNA interference (RNAi) therapies, also announced a global research and development collaboration and licensing agreement with Genentech (a subsidiary of Roche).SANEGENEBIO and Genentech will jointly advance the development of an RNAi therapy based on SANEGENEBIO's proprietary RNAi drug discovery platform. Under the agreement, SANEGENEBIO will grant Genentech the exclusive global rights for the development and commercialization of the drug.SANEGENEBIO will be responsible for the early development of the drug, while Genentech will handle all subsequent clinical development and commercialization activities.
SANEGENEBIO's proprietary RNAi drug discovery platform encompasses novel drug chemical modifications and delivery technologies, which can be used to develop potentially groundbreaking siRNA drugs across multiple disease areas.
According to the terms of the agreement, SANEGENEBIO will receive an upfront payment of $200 million and is entitled to development and sales milestone payments totaling $1.5 billion, as well as tiered royalties.
SANEGENEBIO was founded in2021Year, byRNAiPioneering teams in the field have established and led research and development centers in Suzhou and Shanghai, China, and Boston, USA, gaining support from several globally renowned venture capital institutions (2025Year12Month8Day, announced the completion of over1.1Billion US dollarsBRound of financing).
It is worth mentioning that,2025Year11Month8SANEGENEBIO Announces Global R&D Collaboration and Licensing Agreement with LillyLEAD™ PlatformJointly Promote Targeted Therapies for Metabolic DiseasesRNAiDevelopment of candidate drugs.
SANEGENEBIO will be responsible for based onLEAD™ Platform Screens and Determines the Optimal for Both Parties' Collaborative ProjectsRNAiActive molecules, Lilly will be responsible for the subsequent drugs.INDResearch, Clinical Development and Commercialization.
According to the terms of this agreement with Roche, SANEGENEBIO will receive near-term payments including an upfront payment and equity investment. Additionally, SANEGENEBIO is entitled to collect subsequent payments of up to12Hundreds of millions of dollars in development, regulatory, and sales milestone payments, as well as tiered royalties on commercial sales.