siRNA Drug Market Emerges as a New Blue Ocean with Multiple Pharma Collaborations and IPO Filings

　　【Pharmaceutical Network Industry DynamicsIn recent years, with the key breakthroughs in targeted delivery technology, the field of small nucleic acid drugs has entered a period of explosive rapid development. It is reported that small nucleic acid drugs are mainly divided into two categories: small interfering RNA (siRNA) and antisense oligonucleotides (ASO); among them, the therapeutic scope of siRNA therapy is constantly expanding, which brings enormous room for imagination to the market. According to industry forecasts, by 2029, the siRNA treatment market may surge from $12.7 billion to $39.2 billion, with an annual compound growth rate as high as 25.3%.
 

Currently, with the continuous expansion of the pharmaceutical market and the steady revenue generated by multiple siRNA drugs, many pharmaceutical companies are accelerating their strategic deployment. Facing a huge market opportunity, Chinese pharmaceutical companies will certainly not miss out. Many domestic pharmaceutical companies have now established extensive pipelines of siRNA drugs under research, with indications primarily focused on hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and hepatitis B. The targets cover PCSK9, ANGPTL3, AGT, COX-2, and more. Notably, recently, several domestic pharmaceutical companies have made new advances in siRNA drug development.
 

On May 27, Salubris announced that it had reached a cooperation agreement with Chengdu Guowei Biotech to obtain GW906, an AGT-siRNA drug under development by Guowei Biotech.Active Pharmaceutical IngredientsExclusive licensing rights related to intellectual property and technical information for formulations in the Greater China region, including but not limited to research and development, registration, manufacturing, and commercialization of the products. GW906 is a liver-targeted ligand-conjugated siRNA drug independently developed by Chengdu Guowei Biotech. This investigational drug targets essential hypertension as its indication and is currently in Phase 1 clinical trials.
 

The agreement shows that Salubris will pay an upfront payment and research and development milestone payments totaling up to 180 million yuan. If the product is approved for marketing in the future and net sales reach the agreed amount in the agreement, Salubris will pay cumulative sales milestones of up to 370 million yuan. Meanwhile, during the agreed period in the agreement, Guowei Pharmaceutical will receive a certain percentage of annual net sales as royalties.
 

On May 20, Sirius Therapeutics announced a strategic partnership with CRISPR Therapeutics to jointly advance the development and commercialization of siRNA therapies. Public information shows that Sirius Therapeutics has long been deeply involved in the siRNA field, possessing a proprietary core technology platform for small nucleic acid drug research and development, which covers key aspects such as targeted delivery systems, chemical modification technologies, and double-stranded siRNA design. Meanwhile, CRISPR Therapeutics focuses on the gene therapy field, with strong R&D capabilities and extensive technical expertise.
 

According to the cooperation agreement signed by both parties, the core project of the collaboration is the next-generation long-acting Factor XI (FXI) targeted small interfering RNA (siRNA) therapy SRSD107, which is mainly used for the treatment of thrombotic and thromboembolic diseases.
 

In addition to Chinese pharmaceutical companies, on May 14, AbbVie and ADARx Pharmaceuticals announced a collaboration and license option agreement to develop siRNA therapeutics for multiple disease areas, including neuroscience, immunology, and oncology. Under the terms of the agreement, ADARx will receive an upfront payment of $335 million and is eligible to receive billions of dollars in milestone payments.
 

This strategic collaboration will fully leverage ADARx's expertise in RNA discovery and its proprietary siRNA technology, which has the potential to achieve long-lasting and precise mRNA silencing. AbbVie, on the other hand, will provide specialized support in areas such as antibody engineering, antibody-drug conjugates, and tissue delivery strategies to assist ADARx in its drug discovery efforts.
 

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