CARLSBAD, Calif., Feb. 20, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Ionis
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: IONS) announced today that it has
licensed IONIS-AZ5-2.5Rx (AZD2373) to the global,
science-led biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca (NYSE: AZN).
IONIS-AZ5-2.5Rx is a Generation 2.5 antisense drug,
discovered by Ionis and designed to inhibit an undisclosed target
to treat a genetically associated form of kidney disease.
AstraZeneca will be responsible for developing and commercializing
IONIS-AZ5-2.5Rx.
"This is the second drug to enter development under our
strategic collaboration with AstraZeneca in cardiovascular,
metabolic and renal diseases. IONIS-AZ5-2.5Rx is being
developed to treat a genetically associated form of kidney disease
with a high unmet medical need. We were able to move this program
from target validation to a clinical candidate quickly,
exemplifying the efficiency of our antisense platform," said
Brett P. Monia, Ph.D., chief
operating officer and senior vice president of antisense drug
discovery and translational medicine at Ionis. "AstraZeneca is a
great partner to work with in the cardiometabolic and renal
therapeutic area, and we look forward to them moving this program
through development."
Ionis will receive a $30 million
upfront payment from AstraZeneca for IONIS-AZ5-2.5Rx and
may also receive up to $300 million
in additional development and regulatory milestone payments and
tiered, low double-digit royalties from sales of this potential new
medicine.
ABOUT IONIS AND ASTRAZENECA
AstraZeneca and Ionis have
a strategic alliance focused on leveraging antisense technology to
discover and develop antisense therapies for cardiovascular,
metabolic and renal diseases. The collaboration builds on a broad
existing relationship between the two companies and is supported by
Ionis' expertise in cardiovascular disease and antisense technology
and AstraZeneca's disease area knowledge as well as drug
development expertise and infrastructure. Ionis has generated more
than $220 million to date from the
broad strategic collaboration with AstraZeneca in oncology and
cardiometabolic and kidney diseases. Beyond AZD8233, and AZD2373,
AstraZeneca has the option to license additional antisense drugs
upon development candidate nomination and will pay a license fee
for each drug licensed plus development and regulatory milestones
and sales royalties for each program that AstraZeneca advances.
Ionis and AstraZeneca are also collaborating to discover and
develop antisense drugs to treat cancer.
ABOUT IONIS PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
Ionis is the leading
company in RNA-targeted drug discovery and development focused on
developing drugs for patients who have the highest unmet medical
needs, such as those patients with severe and rare diseases. Using
its proprietary antisense technology, Ionis has created a large
pipeline of first-in-class or best-in-class drugs, with over three
dozen drugs in development. SPINRAZA® (nusinersen) has
been approved in global markets for the treatment of spinal
muscular atrophy (SMA). Biogen is responsible for commercializing
SPINRAZA. Drugs that have successfully completed Phase 3 studies
include inotersen, an antisense drug Ionis is developing to treat
patients with hereditary TTR amyloidosis (hATTR), and volanesorsen,
an antisense drug discovered by Ionis and co-developed by Ionis and
Akcea Therapeutics to treat patients with either familial
chylomicronemia syndrome or familial partial lipodystrophy. Akcea,
an affiliate of Ionis, is a biopharmaceutical company focused on
developing and commercializing drugs to treat patients with serious
cardiometabolic diseases caused by lipid disorders. If approved,
volanesorsen will be commercialized through Ionis' affiliate,
Akcea. Inotersen filings for marketing approval have been submitted
in the U.S. and EU. Volanesorsen filings for marketing approval
have been submitted in the U.S., EU, and Canada. Ionis' patents provide strong and
extensive protection for its drugs and technology. Additional
information about Ionis is available at www.ionispharma.com.
IONIS PHARMACEUTICALS' FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENT
This
press release includes forward-looking statements regarding Ionis'
alliance with AstraZeneca and the therapeutic and commercial
potential of AZD2373. Any statement describing Ionis' goals,
expectations, financial or other projections, intentions or beliefs
is a forward-looking statement and should be considered an at-risk
statement. Such statements are subject to certain risks and
uncertainties, particularly those inherent in the process of
discovering, developing and commercializing drugs that are safe and
effective for use as human therapeutics, and in the endeavor of
building a business around such drugs. Ionis' forward-looking
statements also involve assumptions that, if they never materialize
or prove correct, could cause its results to differ materially from
those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.
Although Ionis' forward-looking statements reflect the good faith
judgment of its management, these statements are based only on
facts and factors currently known by Ionis. As a result, you are
cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. These
and other risks concerning Ionis' programs are described in
additional detail in Ionis' annual report on Form 10-K for the year
ended December 31, 2016, and its most
recent quarterly report on Form 10-Q, which are on file with the
SEC. Copies of these and other documents are available from the
Company.
In this press release, unless the context requires otherwise,
"Ionis," "Company," "we," "our," and "us" refers to Ionis
Pharmaceuticals and its subsidiaries.
Ionis Pharmaceuticals™ is a trademark of Ionis
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Akcea Therapeutics™ is a trademark
of Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. SPINRAZA® is a registered
trademark of Biogen.
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SOURCE Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.