The collaboration will also aim to discover and develop other novel RNAi-based therapeutics against gene targets relating to eye diseases.
Sirna will receive an initial payment of $5 million and be eligible for development milestones of up to $245 million in addition to research funding and royalties on the worldwide sales of products resulting from the alliance. Sirna also will receive contract manufacturing revenues.
Allergan will assume all development and future commercialization responsibilities for Sirna-027 and will bring to the alliance their proprietary ocular drug delivery technologies for the administration of RNAi-based therapeutics.
Sirna will develop optimized lead compounds against Allergan’s identified gene targets and Allergan will be responsible for all preclinical, clinical and commercialization activities for those compounds.
“Through our collaboration with Sirna, we will seek to leverage this cutting edge technology to rapidly design and develop selective compounds that inhibit multiple targets involved in sight-threatening ocular diseases,” said Dr Scott Whitcup, Allergan’s executive vice president, R&D.