Novo secures Dicernas RNAi liver assets
Danish Novo Nordisk A/S has secured access to Dicerna Incs GalXC RNAi technology in a R&D deal worth US$225m upfront over three years comprising 30 liver targets.
Under the deal, which includes potential treatments for NASH, orphan liver diseases, obesity and diabetes, Dicerna could theoretically earn milestones of US$375.5 per target plus sales-related royalties. Additionally, Novo annonced it will make a US$50m equity investment in the US company.
Dicerna’s GalXC platform is a second-generation RNAi platform that allows targetting of DICER through subcutanous siRNA injection. While Dicerna will select and test siRNAs against more than 30 targets provided by Novo until clinical candidate selection, Novo will take responsibility for clinical development and commercialisation of drug candidates. Dicerna holds option rights on two clinical programmes and the rights for clinical development of drug candidates designed to treat two orphan diseases. However, Novo can opt-in the orphan indications.
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