Silence Therapeutics Achieves $10 Million Milestone Payment from AstraZeneca Collaboration Following the Initiation of Phase 1 Trial
24 February 2024 - 12:00AM
Business Wire
Silence Therapeutics plc, Nasdaq: SLN (“Silence” or “the
Company”), an experienced and innovative biotechnology company
committed to transforming people’s lives by silencing diseases
through precision engineered medicines, today 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.
“This represents the first clinical milestone under our
collaboration with AstraZeneca and the third program to enter the
clinic from our mRNAi GOLD™ platform,” said Craig Tooman, President
and CEO of Silence. “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.”
“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,” said Regina Fritsche
Danielson, SVP, Early Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolism,
BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca.
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. Under the agreement,
AstraZeneca will pay Silence an option fee of $10 million for each
selected target at the point of candidate nomination. The 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.
About Silence Therapeutics
Silence Therapeutics is developing a new generation of medicines
by harnessing the body's natural mechanism of RNA interference, or
RNAi, to inhibit the expression of specific target genes thought to
play a role in the pathology of diseases with significant unmet
need. Silence's proprietary mRNAi GOLD™ platform can be used to
create siRNAs (short interfering RNAs) that precisely target and
silence disease-associated genes in the liver, which represents a
substantial opportunity. Silence's wholly owned product candidates
include SLN360 designed to address the high and prevalent unmet
medical need in reducing cardiovascular risk in people born with
high levels of lipoprotein(a) (“Lp(a)”) and divesiran designed to
address hematological diseases, including polycythemia vera.
Silence also maintains ongoing research and development
collaborations with AstraZeneca, Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, and
Hansoh Pharma, among others. For more information, please visit
https://www.silence-therapeutics.com/.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements made in this announcement are forward-looking
statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other securities laws, including
with respect to the Company’s cash runway and forecast operating
cash flow, the Company’s clinical and commercial prospects,
regulatory approvals of the Company’s product candidates, potential
partnerships or collaborations or payments under new and existing
collaborations, the initiation or completion of the Company’s
clinical trials and the anticipated timing or outcomes of data
reports from the Company’s clinical trials. These forward-looking
statements are not historical facts but rather are based on the
Company's current assumptions, beliefs, expectations, estimates and
projections about its industry. Words such as “anticipate,”
“expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “seek,” “estimate,” and
similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking
statements. These statements are not guarantees of future
performance and are subject to known and unknown risks,
uncertainties, and other factors, some of which are beyond the
Company's control, are difficult to predict, and could cause actual
results to differ materially from those expressed or forecasted in
the forward-looking statements, including those risks identified in
the Company’s most recent Admission Document and its Annual Report
on Form 20-F filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
on March 15, 2023. The Company cautions security holders and
prospective security holders not to place undue reliance on these
forward-looking statements, which reflect the view of the Company
only as of the date of this announcement. The forward-looking
statements made in this announcement relate only to events as of
the date on which the statements are made. The Company will not
undertake any obligation to release publicly any revisions or
updates to these forward-looking statements to reflect events,
circumstances, or unanticipated events occurring after the date of
this announcement except as required by law or by any appropriate
regulatory authority.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240223959968/en/
Inquiries: Silence Therapeutics plc Gem Hopkins,
Head of IR and Corporate Communications ir@silence-therapeutics.com
Tel: +1 (646) 637-3208
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