Boehringer Ingelheim (BI), a Germany-headquartered pharmaceutical company, has entered into a collaboration agreement with Suzhou Ribo Life Science Co., Ltd, a Chinese biotechnology firm, to co-develop small interfering RNA (siRNA) drugs for the treatment of non-alcoholic or metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (NASH/MASH). This strategic partnership aims to leverage Ribo’s proprietary RIBO-GalSTAR platform, which is designed to develop RNAi therapeutics that can specifically target and silence disease-causing genes in hepatocytes, potentially unlocking treatments for previously inaccessible drug targets.
The collaboration will involve scientists from BI, who specialize in cardiovascular, renal, and metabolic (CRM) diseases, working alongside Ribo’s team. Under the terms of the agreement, Ribo will receive an undisclosed upfront payment and is eligible for additional payments tied to clinical studies, regulatory filings, and commercialization milestones, as well as tiered sales commissions. The total potential value of the deal is “in excess of USD 2 billion”, reflecting the significant potential of this collaboration in the field of RNAi therapeutics.- Flcube.com
