AbbVie Expands siRNA Portfolio with $335M ADARx Agreement

AbbVie is expanding its presence in the small interfering RNA (siRNA) field through a strategic partnership with ADARx Pharmaceuticals. This collaboration comes after AbbVie's acquisition of Aliada Therapeutics for $1.4 billion in October 2024, aimed at enhancing its capabilities in this innovative area of medicine. In this latest agreement, AbbVie has committed to an upfront payment of $335 million to ADARx Pharmaceuticals and anticipates potential milestone payments that could amount to several billion dollars.

The partnership focuses on developing new treatments across various disease areas, with a particular emphasis on neuroscience, immunology, and oncology. ADARx will leverage its siRNA technology to discover new molecules, while AbbVie will contribute its expertise in antibody engineering, antibody drug conjugates, and tissue delivery mechanisms. siRNA technology plays a crucial role in regulating gene expression and protein production, offering the potential to inhibit the production of disease-causing proteins by targeting messenger RNA (mRNA).

This collaboration builds on AbbVie's prior investment in the siRNA field through its acquisition of Aliada Therapeutics, which was primarily focused on addressing central nervous system disorders. A notable project from this acquisition involves the development of the anti-pyroglutamate amyloid beta (3pE-Aβ) antibody, ALIA-1758, aimed at treating Alzheimer’s disease.

Beyond the partnership with AbbVie, ADARx Pharmaceuticals is advancing its own pipeline of clinical-stage medicines targeting complement-mediated, cardiovascular, and thrombotic diseases. Its most advanced candidate, ADX-324, is approaching Phase III clinical trials for hereditary angioedema. Additionally, ADARx is working on other promising programs in the early discovery phase, focusing on conditions such as obesity and neurodegeneration.

In August 2023, ADARx successfully raised $200 million in Series C funding. This financial boost is intended to further the development of ADX-324, as well as another promising candidate, ADX-038, which is being developed to treat multiple complement-mediated diseases.

The field of siRNA is gaining significant traction within the pharmaceutical industry, as highlighted by several recent deals. On the same day of the AbbVie-ADARx announcement, GSK revealed its acquisition of Boston Pharmaceuticals’ efimosfermin alfa. The goal is to combine this FGF21 analog with GSK’s own siRNA therapy, GSK’990, to explore new therapeutic possibilities.

Earlier in the year, in March, Eli Lilly announced promising results from its siRNA therapy, lepodisiran, which demonstrated nearly a 94% reduction in lipoprotein(a) levels among patients at risk of cardiovascular events such as heart attacks or strokes. Further illustrating the burgeoning interest in siRNA, Boehringer Ingelheim entered a potentially $2 billion collaboration in January 2024 with Chinese biotech Suzhou Ribo Life Science and its Swedish unit Ribocure Pharmaceuticals to develop treatments for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis.

Overall, the partnership between AbbVie and ADARx Pharmaceuticals signifies a deepening commitment to the siRNA field, promising to bring forward new therapeutic options for several challenging diseases by combining cutting-edge siRNA technology with strategic pharmaceutical expertise.