AstraZeneca and Isis Pharma in $65m drugs collaboration
pharmafile | August 3, 2015 | News story | Manufacturing and Production, Research and Development | AstraZeneca, Isis Pharma, Isis Pharmaceuticals, antisense, drug R&D
Isis Pharmaceuticals and AstraZeneca have announced a strategic collaboration to discover and develop antisense therapies for cardiovascular, metabolic and renal diseases.
The new collaboration builds on the two companies’existing relationship, and supports AstraZeneca’s strategy in using novel RNA-targeted treatments in heart, metabolic and kidney diseases. The partnership also enables Isis Pharmaceuticals to extend the use of its antisense technology to kidney disease.
Antisense drugs are small nucleic acids – similar to DNA – that have been chemically modified to bind to and inactivate mRNA while influencing protein production. Antisense techniques are often used to treat genetic disorders. These modified nucleic acids bind to their target mRNA and inhibit proteins from being produced and having their disease-causing effects.
AstraZeneca will pay Isis Pharmaceuticals $65 million upfront, plus development and regulatory milestones for each program AstraZeneca advances to clinical development. Isis Pharmaceuticals may also earn tiered double-digit royalties on annual net sales for each program.
Mene Pangalos, executive vice president, innovative medicines and early development at AstraZeneca, says: “Antisense-based therapies are rapidly gaining momentum in the clinic and becoming an important component of our early stage pipeline. This collaboration combines the world-class antisense drug research capabilities of Isis with our expertise in cardiovascular, metabolic and renal disease drug discovery and development. By working together, we aim to uncover targets and pathways that can be manipulated using antisense drug therapy.”
B. Lynne Parshall, chief operating officer at Isis Pharmaceuticals, comments: “This expansion of our collaboration with AstraZeneca establishes our second strategic relationship. This new collaboration will help broaden the application of our antisense technology to targets in the kidney.
“AstraZeneca is committed to finding novel best-in-class therapies for some of the largest, most complex and fastest growing disease segments in the developed world. Combining our antisense technology with AstraZeneca’s strong knowledge, leadership and commitment in these areas should be very valuable in fully exploiting these opportunities and moving new therapies effectively and efficiently toward the market.”
Joel Levy
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