SanegeneBio Advances RNAi Innovation with $110M+ Series B Financing and $1.2B Collaboration with Eli Lilly

　　【Pharmaceutical Network Enterprise NewsThe RNAi therapy market has broad prospects, and China's innovative pharmaceutical companies are accelerating their progress. SANEGENEBIO, a company focusing on RNAi therapies, has recently announced significant developments: in November, it reached a global collaboration with Eli Lilly worth up to $1.2 billion, and in December, it completed a Series B financing round exceeding $110 million. These actions not only demonstrate the company’s strong technical capabilities but also mark a core breakthrough for China in the field of small nucleic acid drugs.
 

On December 9, SANEGENEBIO announced the completion of a Series B financing round exceeding $110 million. The proceeds from this round will be used to leverage the company's RNAi drug development platform, including the LEAD™ (Ligand and Enhancer Assisted Delivery) extrahepatic delivery platform, to advance clinical-stage pipelines into registration studies, and to expedite the development of multiple therapeutic pipelines.
 

The LEAD™ platform is a tissue-selective delivery technology independently developed by SANEGENEBIO, capable of achieving efficient and specific delivery of RNAi drugs in extrahepatic tissues and cells. Based on this platform, there is potential to develop a breakthrough therapy for metabolic diseases that requires only two subcutaneous administrations per year.
 

Notably, this round of financing has attracted the participation of pharmaceutical companies such as Sino Biopharm and Eli Lilly. The announcement shows that this round of financing for SANEGENEBIO was led by an industry organization, with investments from an international sovereign fund, Sino Biopharmaceutical Group, Legend Capital, Vivo Capital, Invus, SymBiosis, Suzhou Venture Capital, Zhenmai Investment, and Lake Bleu Capital. Additionally, it received strategic investment from Eli Lilly and Company. Existing shareholders including Gaoling & PE Fund, Qiming Venture Partners, Unity Ventures, TF Capital, Oriza Holdings, and Northern Light Venture Capital have continued their support.
 

SANEGENEBIO is an innovative enterprise focused on the research and development of small nucleic acid drugs. The company is committed to building an innovative small nucleic acid drug delivery platform, covering multiple research areas such as metabolism, oncology, central nervous system, immunology, ophthalmology, and rare diseases. With its cutting-edge technology and broad market prospects, SANEGENEBIO has quickly gained prominence in the biopharmaceutical field. The success of this Series B financing will further enhance SANEGENEBIO's investment in R&D, accelerating the clinical translation and industrialization process of small nucleic acid drugs. Investors have expressed high recognition of SANEGENEBIO's technical strength and market potential, and look forward to jointly promoting the development of the small nucleic acid drug field in the future.
 

Moreover, in November, SANEGENEBIO reached a global R&D collaboration and licensing agreement with Eli Lilly, valued at up to $1.2 billion, to jointly develop and commercialize RNAi therapies for metabolic diseases.
 

According to the agreement, Lilly will pay SANEGENEBIO an upfront payment and make equity investments, while taking over preclinical research (pre-IND studies), clinical development, and commercialization of RNAi molecules discovered by SANEGENEBIO. In addition, SANEGENEBIO is eligible to receive up to $1.2 billion in discovery, development, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments, as well as tiered royalties on future product sales.
 

RNA Interference (RNAi) is a method of gene silencing mediated by double-stranded RNA. Many diseases are caused by genetic mutations, and the breakthrough technology of RNAi has given scientists hope for treating diseases through "gene silencing." The future market potential of RNAi is also widely optimistic. Data shows that from 2018 to 2020, the global RNAi therapy market size increased from 12 million USD to 362 million USD, with an annual compound growth rate as high as 449%. It is expected that by 2030, the global RNAi therapy market size will reach 25.195 billion USD. As the market prospects for RNAi therapies become more certain, an increasing number of multinational pharmaceutical companies are accelerating their deployment in the RNAi sector through license-in strategies.
 

SANEGENEBIO and Eli Lilly will jointly advance the development of RNAi candidate drugs for metabolic diseases based on SANEGENEBIO's proprietary LEAD™ platform. SANEGENEBIO will be responsible for screening and identifying RNAi active molecules for the collaborative projects using the LEAD™ platform, while Eli Lilly will oversee subsequent IND-enabling studies, clinical development, and commercialization of the drug.
 

From being heavily endorsed by capital to gaining support from industry leaders, SANEGENEBIO's growth trajectory reflects the tremendous potential within the RNAi therapy field. With continuous technological breakthroughs and the steady advancement of its pipeline, SANEGENEBIO is driving an innovation wave in RNAi therapies with strong momentum.
 

Disclaimer: In no event shall the information or opinions expressed in this article constitute investment advice to any person.