Sanofi Purchases $130 million Exclusive License for Plozasiran from Visirna Therapeutics\n\nSanofi secures exclusive rights to develop plozasiran in Greater China, enhancing treatment options for hypertriglyceridemia and expanding its cardiometabolic portfolio.\n\nThe exclusive license agreement will allow Sanofi to develop and commercialize the medication in China.\n\nArrowhead Pharmaceuticals announced its majority owned subsidiarity Visirna Therapeutics agreed to sell the exclusive license for investigational plozasiran to Sanofi. The agreement grants Sanofi the exclusive rights to develop and commercialize the treatment in greater China.\n\nWayne Shi, president, Sanofi Greater China, discussed the importance of the agreement, saying, “We are pleased to have concluded this agreement to enable us to advance plozasiran in Greater China where Sanofi has deep roots and a proud heritage of serving people living with a wide range of diseases. Plozasiran has shown considerable potential in studies across diverse patient populations where serious illness is caused by elevated triglycerides. With our strong presence in China’s cardiometabolic field, we now look forward to bringing it forward to address unmet need.”\n\nWhy Visirna?\n\nFounded in 2022, Visirna Therapeutics is a majority-owned subsidiary of Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals based in China created to develop and commercialize four of Arrowhead’s investigational cardiometabolic candidates. This includes plozasirn, a first-in-class RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutic candidate designed reduce the production of apolipoprotein C-III (APOC3) and serve as a potential treatment for familial chylomicronemia syndrome (FCS) and severe hypertriglyceridemia.\n\nVisirna completed a Phase III clinical trial of investigational plozasirn in Chinese patients suffering from FCS, where plozasirn achieved its primary efficacy goal, along with reaching all its critical secondary endpoints. Succeeding the clinical trial, Virsirna submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) for plozasirn to the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) in China. The application for the FCS treatment received its official acceptance back in January of this year and was granted Breakthrough Drug Designation, along with receiving Priority Review Designation by China’s NMPA.\n\nFinancial factor\n\nUnder the terms of the agreement, Sanofi will pay an upfront cost of $130 million to Visirna for the exclusive rights to develop and commercialize plozasirn in China. Visirna will be eligible to receive an estimated $265 million in milestone payments upon plozasirn’s approval across mainland China. Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals is also granted eligibility to receive additional payments on royalties and net sales across China as a part of its Arrowhead-Visirna license agreement that was assigned to Sanofi.

Sanofi Purchases $130 million Exclusive License for Plozasiran from Visirna Therapeutics

Sanofi has purchased an exclusive license for plozasiran from Visirna Therapeutics for $130 million, allowing Sanofi to develop and commercialize the drug in China. The drug targets hypertriglyceridemia and familial chylomicronemia syndrome (FCS), with Visirna having completed a Phase III trial and submitted an NDA to China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA). Sanofi will pay $130 million upfront and receive milestone payments, while Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals may receive royalties on sales.