THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. and
WALTHAM, Mass.,
Jan. 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN)
and Arrakis Therapeutics today announced a research collaboration
focused on the discovery and development of RNA degrader
therapeutics against a range of difficult-to-drug targets in
multiple therapeutic areas. This new class of "targeted RNA
degraders" consists of small molecule drugs that selectively
destroy RNAs encoding disease-causing proteins by inducing
their proximity to nucleases.
Under the terms of the agreement, Arrakis will lead research
activities for the identification of RNA-targeted small molecule
(rSM) binders against a broad set of targets nominated by Amgen.
Both parties will collaboratively design and functionalize these
molecules to specifically degrade targeted RNAs, and Amgen will
lead further preclinical and clinical development activities. Amgen
will pay $75 million upfront to
Arrakis for five initial programs and will have the option to
nominate additional programs. For each program, Arrakis will be
eligible for additional payments from Amgen for preclinical,
clinical, regulatory and sales milestones, and royalties up to low
double digits. Arrakis could potentially receive several billion
dollars in future payments if all milestones are met and future
program options are exercised.
"Targeted RNA degradation is an exciting area that is pushing
the boundaries of drug discovery and design," said Raymond Deshaies, Ph.D., senior vice president
of Global Research at Amgen. "The collaboration with Arrakis
combines Amgen's induced proximity expertise in discovering
multispecific molecules to target the biologic mechanisms of
disease and Arrakis' pioneering discovery platform to predict RNA
structures and identify small molecules that bind to them,
significantly broadening the possibilities of addressing difficult
protein targets considered undruggable because they may not have
binding sites needed for conventional medicines. Combining this
approach with Amgen's targeted protein degradation induced
proximity research already underway has the potential to
significantly expand the druggable genome."
By integrating the capabilities of the two innovative discovery
platforms from Amgen and Arrakis, the collaboration creates an
opportunity to design and engineer targeted RNA degraders. Amgen
has built its Induced Proximity Platform to identify multispecific
molecules that harness the power of cell biology by forming novel
connections between natural effectors and targets. One end of the
molecule binds to the target to be altered (inhibited, activated or
destroyed) and the other end binds to a cellular effector that acts
on the target, offering the potential to engage a broad range of
cellular mechanisms to treat disease. With targeted RNA degraders,
the effector, such as a ribonuclease or other RNA modulator, is
brought into proximity of the RNA to degrade or otherwise modify
the disease-causing RNA of interest. This complements Amgen's
existing efforts to target RNA with siRNA. In this collaboration,
Arrakis' rSM platform will be applied as a drug discovery engine to
identify small molecules that bind target RNA. These rSMs will then
be functionalized with nuclease recruiters to create
heterobifunctional molecules that trigger degradation of
disease-relevant RNA targets.
"We are excited to partner with Amgen's strong research team to
pursue a shared goal of creating a new class of medicines that
induce degradation of disease-causing RNAs. This collaboration
further demonstrates the utility of our proprietary rSM discovery
platform for targeting RNA with small molecules and paves the way
for creating powerful new treatments for patients," said
Michael Gilman, Ph.D., chief
executive officer of Arrakis. "Based on our long-term goal to build
a broad and industry-leading platform that adapts state-of-the-art
drug discovery tools to target RNA biology, we have enabled a range
of different applications and collaborations to leverage our
science, a strong capital position and the ability to grow our
business and our impact to advance RNA-targeted drug programs for
diseases unaddressed by today's medicines."
About Amgen Amgen is committed to unlocking the
potential of biology for patients suffering from serious illnesses
by discovering, developing, manufacturing and delivering innovative
human therapeutics. This approach begins by using tools like
advanced human genetics to unravel the complexities of disease and
understand the fundamentals of human biology.
Amgen focuses on areas of high unmet medical need and leverages
its expertise to strive for solutions that improve health outcomes
and dramatically improve people's lives. A biotechnology pioneer
since 1980, Amgen has grown to be one of the
world's leading independent biotechnology companies, has
reached millions of patients around the world and is developing a
pipeline of medicines with breakaway potential.
Amgen is one of the 30 companies that comprise the Dow Jones
Industrial Average and is also part of the Nasdaq-100 index. In
2021, Amgen was named one of the 25 World's Best Workplaces™ by
Fortune and Great Place to Work™ and one of the 100 most
sustainable companies in the world by Barron's.
For more information, visit www.amgen.com and follow
us on www.twitter.com/amgen.
About Arrakis Therapeutics
Arrakis Therapeutics is a
biopharmaceutical company pioneering the discovery of a new class
of medicines that directly target RNA. Arrakis is building a
proprietary pipeline of RNA-targeted small molecule (rSM) medicines
focused on cancer and genetically validated targets in other
disease areas. The company brings together scientific leaders in
RNA structure, chemistry and biology, along with a highly
experienced management team and the backing of leading life science
investors. The company is located in Waltham, Massachusetts.
For more information, please
visit www.arrakistx.com and engage with us on Twitter
@ArrakisTx or on LinkedIn.
Amgen Forward-Looking Statements
This news release
contains forward-looking statements that are based on the current
expectations and beliefs of Amgen. All statements, other than
statements of historical fact, are statements that could be deemed
forward-looking statements, including any statements on the
outcome, benefits and synergies of collaborations, or potential
collaborations, with any other company (including BeiGene, Ltd.,
Kyowa-Kirin Co., Ltd., Arrakis Therapeutics, Inc., or any
collaboration to manufacture therapeutic antibodies against
COVID-19), the performance of Otezla® (apremilast)
(including anticipated Otezla sales growth and the timing of
non-GAAP EPS accretion), the Five Prime Therapeutics, Inc.
acquisition, or the Teneobio, Inc. acquisition, as well as
estimates of revenues, operating margins, capital expenditures,
cash, other financial metrics, expected legal, arbitration,
political, regulatory or clinical results or practices, customer
and prescriber patterns or practices, reimbursement activities and
outcomes, effects of pandemics or other widespread health problems
such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on our business, and other
such estimates and results. Forward-looking statements involve
significant risks and uncertainties, including those discussed
below and more fully described in the Securities and Exchange
Commission reports filed by Amgen, including our most recent annual
report on Form 10-K and any subsequent periodic reports on Form
10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K. Unless otherwise noted, Amgen
is providing this information as of the date of this news release
and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking
statements contained in this document as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise.
No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed and actual
results may differ materially from those we project. Our results
may be affected by our ability to successfully market both new and
existing products domestically and internationally, clinical and
regulatory developments involving current and future products,
sales growth of recently launched products, competition from other
products including biosimilars, difficulties or delays in
manufacturing our products and global economic conditions. In
addition, sales of our products are affected by pricing pressure,
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and managed care providers and may be affected by regulatory,
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trends toward managed care and healthcare cost containment.
Furthermore, our research, testing, pricing, marketing and other
operations are subject to extensive regulation by domestic and
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identify safety, side effects or manufacturing problems with our
products, including our devices, after they are on the market. Our
business may be impacted by government investigations, litigation
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obligations in the corporate integrity agreement between us and the
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Further, while we routinely obtain patents for our products and
technology, the protection offered by our patents and patent
applications may be challenged, invalidated or circumvented by our
competitors, or we may fail to prevail in present and future
intellectual property litigation. We perform a substantial amount
of our commercial manufacturing activities at a few key facilities,
including in Puerto Rico, and also
depend on third parties for a portion of our manufacturing
activities, and limits on supply may constrain sales of certain of
our current products and product candidate development. An outbreak
of disease or similar public health threat, such as COVID-19, and
the public and governmental effort to mitigate against the spread
of such disease, could have a significant adverse effect on the
supply of materials for our manufacturing activities, the
distribution of our products, the commercialization of our product
candidates, and our clinical trial operations, and any such events
may have a material adverse effect on our product development,
product sales, business and results of operations. We rely on
collaborations with third parties for the development of some of
our product candidates and for the commercialization and sales of
some of our commercial products. In addition, we compete with other
companies with respect to many of our marketed products as well as
for the discovery and development of new products. Discovery or
identification of new product candidates or development of new
indications for existing products cannot be guaranteed and movement
from concept to product is uncertain; consequently, there can be no
guarantee that any particular product candidate or development of a
new indication for an existing product will be successful and
become a commercial product. Further, some raw materials, medical
devices and component parts for our products are supplied by sole
third-party suppliers. Certain of our distributors, customers and
payers have substantial purchasing leverage in their dealings with
us. The discovery of significant problems with a product similar to
one of our products that implicate an entire class of products
could have a material adverse effect on sales of the affected
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to collaborate with or acquire other companies, products or
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affected by a number of events. Global economic conditions may
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performance could affect or limit the ability of our Board of
Directors to declare a dividend or our ability to pay a dividend or
repurchase our common stock. We may not be able to access the
capital and credit markets on terms that are favorable to us, or at
all.
CONTACT:
Amgen, Thousand Oaks
Megan Fox, 805-447-1423 (media)
Michael Strapazon, 805-313-5553
(media)
Arvind Sood, 805-447-1060
(investors)
Arrakis Therapeutics
Kathryn Morris, 914-204-6412,
kathryn@theyatesnetwork.com, (media)
Will O'Connor, 212-362-1200,
will.oconnor@sternir.com, (investors)
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