2024-01-04 12:00:00
NASH : Boehringer Ingelheim s’associe à Ribocure Pharmaceuticals
Boehringer Ingelheim will partner with Swedish biotech Ribocure Pharmaceuticals to develop new treatments for people with liver diseases, particularly NASH. To do this, the German laboratory will take advantage of the biotech technological platform which makes it possible to develop small interfering RNA (siRNA). The latter target pathogenic genes in hepatocytes by silencing their messenger RNA (mRNA). Through this approach, both companies hope to target previously inaccessible drug targets. Under the terms of the agreement, Ribocure will receive an upfront payment and is eligible for milestone payments. In total, the amount of the transaction could reach more than two billion dollars (€1.8 billion).
“This new partnership is part of our commitment to collaborate with peers around the world to address the interconnected nature of cardiovascular, renal and metabolic diseases. Our goal is to develop the next wave of innovative medicines”commented Søren Tullin, Senior Vice President and Global Head of Cardiometabolic Disease Research at Boehringer Ingelheim.
Gene therapy: Novartis signs agreement with Voyager Therapeutics
Novartis and American biotech Voyager Therapeutics agreed through a licensing and collaboration agreement. This agreement concerns capsids called Tracer from Voyager which enable the development of gene therapies. The biotherapies developed by Novartis using these capsids will be positioned for the treatment of Huntington’s disease (HD) and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). In detailing the financial terms of the agreement, Novartis will pay Voyager an upfront consideration of $100 million (€91.6 million), including a purchase of $20 million of newly issued Voyager shares. The biotech is also eligible to receive up to $1.2 billion in milestone payments. The Swiss laboratory also has exclusive access to Voyager’s Tracer capsids positioned on the SMA. The biotech will be responsible for preclinical advancement, while Novartis will take over for clinical development and commercialization.
“We believe Voyager’s Tracer capsids hold promise for developing next-generation gene therapies for central nervous system diseases”, said Fiona Marshall, president of biomedical research at Novartis. In addition to the Swiss laboratory, Voyager has already collaborated with other laboratories, including Pfizer.
Bioprocesses: Asahi Kasei opens a center in China
Japanese Asahi Kasei opened a bioprocess technical center in Suzhou (China). And this, with the aim of offering greater added value to Chinese pharmaceutical customers, through the performance of practical tests and technical assistance. Asahi Kasei’s bioprocessing business includes biosafety testing services, biopharmaceutical CDMO businesses, and bioprocess-related products used in the manufacturing of biotherapeutics.
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