Silence Therapeutics – an experienced and innovative biotechnology company committed to transforming people’s lives by silencing diseases through precision-engineered medicines – announced that the initiation by AstraZeneca of a phase 1 clinical trial of the first product candidate under its siRNA (short interfering RNA) collaboration, has triggered a $10.0 million milestone payment to Silence.
Silence and AstraZeneca initiated a multi-target collaboration in March 2020 focused on using Silence’s proprietary mRNAi GOLD platform to develop siRNA therapeutics for cardiovascular, renal, metabolic and respiratory diseases. And under the agreement, AstraZeneca will pay Silence an option fee of $10 million for each selected target at the point of candidate nomination. This deal covers up to ten targets.
For each target selected, Silence is eligible for up to $140 million in development milestones and up to $250 million in commercialization milestones as well as tiered royalties on net sales ranging from high-single-digit to low-double-digit.
KEY QUOTES:
“This represents the first clinical milestone under our collaboration with AstraZeneca and the third program to enter the clinic from our mRNAi GOLD platform. This is a very exciting time for Silence as we are beginning to establish ourselves as a platform company progressing multiple clinical programs targeting both rare and common genetic diseases. In addition to this great achievement under our collaboration with AstraZeneca, we are also pleased with the continued advancement of our proprietary pipeline with encouraging clinical data now emerging from our zerlasiran program in high Lp(a) and divesiran program in polycythemia vera.”
– Craig Tooman, President and CEO of Silence
“We are pleased to have achieved this important clinical milestone through our collaboration with Silence Therapeutics. Our goal in working together is to advance these novel programs and develop the next wave of innovative therapies that address cardiovascular, renal and metabolic diseases.”
– Regina Fritsche Danielson, SVP, Early Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolism, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca
