Latest news with #ADARx
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
AbbVie stakes $335M on a startup's RNAi drugs
This story was originally published on BioPharma Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily BioPharma Dive newsletter. AbbVie is staking hundreds of millions of dollars on RNA interference, agreeing on Wednesday to work with biotechnology startup ADARx Pharmaceuticals to develop experimental medicines for neurological conditions, immune diseases and cancer. Under the terms of the deal, AbbVie will pay ADARx $335 million in cash upfront. The startup could receive 'several billion dollars' more in the form of option-related fees and downstream payments, though that money isn't guaranteed. ADARx would also get a share of royalties on any marketed products to emerge from the collaboration. ADARx is part of a new generation of startups trying to take RNAi interference, a way of silencing disease-causing gene mutations, in new directions. While the technology has been used to make a handful of drugs now on the market, it's still largely focused on rare conditions and disease targets in the liver. ADARx and several others are trying to break beyond those limitations. The company has drugs in testing for rare as well as common conditions, and diseases of the eye and kidney. It also claims to be able to deliver RNAi drugs to the brain, an area of focus in its collaboration with AbbVie. The partners didn't disclose which specific diseases they're targeting. But ADARx's pipeline page shows 'multiple' programs underway for central nervous system disorders, along with the planned work in immunology and cancer. RNAi is 'a promising genetic medicine approach for silencing disease-causing genes, but challenges still remain in targeting and delivering [it] effectively," said Jonathon Sedgwick, AbbVie's senior vice president and global head of discovery research, in a statement. 'Together, we're committed to developing innovative solutions for difficult-to-treat diseases across neuroscience, immunology and oncology." ADARx is backed by more than a dozen investment firms and, last year, raised a $200 million Series C round that included several 'crossover' investors that back private and publicly traded companies. Alongside its RNAi work, the company is also pursuing RNA editing, another fast-growing area of drug research. It hasn't publicly disclosed any RNA editing programs yet, however.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
AbbVie expands siRNA push with $335m ADARx deal
AbbVie has signed a collaboration and licensing agreement with US-based ADARx Pharmaceuticals, committing $335m upfront to access its small interfering RNA (siRNA) platform. The partnership gives AbbVie exclusive options on multiple siRNA-based programmes across neuroscience, immunology, and oncology – therapeutic areas identified as strategic priorities for the company. Under the deal, ADARx will apply its proprietary siRNA discovery technology to identify and develop new molecular candidates. In addition, AbbVie will contribute expertise in antibody engineering, antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), and targeted tissue delivery – capabilities intended to enhance the therapeutic potential and precision of the siRNA candidates. Along with the upfront payment, ADARx stands to receive 'several billion dollars' in potential option fees, development and commercial milestones, and tiered royalties on any resulting products, as per yesterday's (14 May) announcement. This is AbbVie's second major move into the siRNA space in less than a year. In October 2024, the company acquired Aliada Therapeutics for $1.4bn, primarily for its Alzheimer's disease candidate ALIA-1758 and blood-brain barrier shuttle technology, which also holds promise for RNA-based delivery. siRNA therapeutics work by selectively silencing the expression of disease-driving genes at the mRNA level, preventing the production of specific proteins. ADARx claims its approach can offer long-lasting effects without altering the genome, addressing some of the safety concerns associated with gene editing technologies. "siRNA is a promising genetic medicine approach for silencing disease-causing genes, but challenges still remain in targeting and delivering siRNA effectively," said Jonathon Sedgwick, senior vice-president and global head of discovery research at AbbVie. ADARx's internal pipeline includes ADX-324, a treatment for hereditary angioedema, which is nearing Phase III development. Other early-stage programmes target complement-mediated diseases, cardiovascular conditions, neurodegeneration, and obesity. The company raised $200m in a Series C round in August 2023 to advance these assets. Industry interest in siRNA continues to grow. In March 2025, Eli Lilly reported promising Phase II data for lepodisiran, its siRNA therapy targeting lipoprotein(a), a key cardiovascular risk factor. In January 2024, Boehringer Ingelheim entered a deal worth up to $2bn with Suzhou Ribe Life Science to develop siRNA therapies for liver disease. Just yesterday, GSK disclosed it was acquiring Boston Pharmaceuticals' FGF21 analogue efimosfermin for $2bn, with plans to combine it with its in-house siRNA candidate GSK'990 to address more advanced stages of steatotic liver disease. "AbbVie expands siRNA push with $335m ADARx deal" was originally created and published by Pharmaceutical Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Associated Press
14-05-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
AbbVie and ADARx Pharmaceuticals Announce Collaboration and License Option Agreement to Develop Next-Generation siRNA Therapies Across Multiple Therapeutic Areas
- Collaboration to leverage AbbVie's expertise in biotherapeutic drug development and commercialization together with ADARx's proprietary RNA technology to advance next-generation siRNA therapies across neuroscience, immunology and oncology NORTH CHICAGO, Ill. and SAN DIEGO, May 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) and ADARx Pharmaceuticals, a late clinical-stage biotechnology company developing next-generation RNA therapeutics, today announced a collaboration and license option agreement to develop small interfering RNA (siRNA) therapeutics across multiple disease areas, including neuroscience, immunology and oncology. siRNA represents a class of molecules capable of regulating gene expression and protein production. Unlike traditional modalities such as antibodies and small molecules, siRNA regulates the expression of genes. These molecules are designed to prevent the production of disease-causing proteins by targeting the messenger RNA (mRNA) that encodes for such proteins. The strategic collaboration will leverage ADARx's RNA discovery expertise and proprietary siRNA technology, which has the potential to enable sustained and precise mRNA silencing. AbbVie will contribute its expertise in antibody engineering, antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) and tissue delivery approaches as appropriate, to augment ADARx's discovery efforts. 'siRNA is a promising genetic medicine approach for silencing disease-causing genes, but challenges still remain in targeting and delivering siRNA effectively,' said Jonathon Sedgwick, Ph.D., senior vice president and global head, discovery research, AbbVie. 'We are very pleased to collaborate with ADARx, leveraging their proprietary RNA technology alongside our antibody, ADC, and therapeutic area research and development expertise to bring siRNA forward as a potential novel therapeutic modality alongside our other established approaches. Together, we're committed to developing innovative solutions for difficult-to-treat diseases across neuroscience, immunology and oncology.' 'This collaboration with AbbVie further validates the differentiated RNA technology that we have developed at ADARx and has the potential to unlock tremendous clinical and commercial potential across multiple disease areas. AbbVie's research and development expertise combined with its global commercial reach make them the ideal strategic collaborator to accelerate these programs for the potential benefit of patients worldwide,' said Zhen Li, Ph.D., co-founder, president and chief executive officer of ADARx. 'In addition to this strategic collaboration with AbbVie, ADARx continues to advance a deep pipeline of wholly-owned clinical-stage programs that span complement-mediated, cardiovascular and thrombotic diseases and various preclinical discovery programs including in obesity and neurodegeneration.' Under the terms of the agreement, ADARx will receive a $335 million upfront payment and will be eligible to receive several billion dollars in additional contingent payments including option-related fees and milestone payments, as well as tiered royalties. About AbbVie AbbVie's mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines and solutions that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people's lives across several key therapeutic areas including immunology, oncology, neuroscience and eye care – and products and services in our Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at Follow @abbvie on LinkedIn,Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube. About ADARx Pharmaceuticals ADARx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a late clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to transforming cutting-edge science into next-generation RNA medicines across a wide range of therapeutic areas. Our goal is to control the expression of specific disease drivers with highly selective RNA targeted therapies, delivering life-changing treatments for patients with urgent unmet medical needs. We are focused on advancing and expanding a deep pipeline of highly potent, durable and selective RNA-targeted therapeutic candidates, initially developing our product candidates for the treatment of complement-mediated, genetic, cardiovascular, central nervous system and metabolic (obesity) diseases. Follow ADARx on LinkedIn. Forward-Looking Statements Some statements in this news release are, or may be considered, forward-looking statements for purposes of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words 'believe,' 'expect,' 'anticipate,' 'project' and similar expressions and uses of future or conditional verbs, generally identify forward-looking statements. AbbVie cautions that these forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, challenges to intellectual property, competition from other products, difficulties inherent in the research and development process, adverse litigation or government action, changes to laws and regulations applicable to our industry, the impact of global macroeconomic factors, such as economic downturns or uncertainty, international conflict, trade disputes and tariffs, and other uncertainties and risks associated with global business operations. Additional information about the economic, competitive, governmental, technological and other factors that may affect AbbVie's operations is set forth in Item 1A, 'Risk Factors,' of AbbVie's 2024 Annual Report on Form 10-K, which has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as updated by its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and in other documents that AbbVie subsequently files with the Securities and Exchange Commission that update, supplement or supersede such information. AbbVie undertakes no obligation, and specifically declines, to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking statements as a result of subsequent events or developments, except as required by law. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE AbbVie
