GSK bolts on siRNA drug from China's SiranBio in $1bn deal

GSK has bolstered its pipeline of small interfering RNA (siRNA) drugs by licensing a potentially first-in-class therapy from China's Suzhou Siran Bio (SiranBio).

The therapy, codenamed SA030, is a long-acting siRNA candidate that targets activin receptor-like kinase 7 (ALK7) and is being developed by SiranBio in phase 1 trials for reducing metabolic and vascular risk across lung, liver, and kidney diseases.

GSK is paying an undisclosed upfront fee, as well as potential milestones that could drive the value of the deal, which gives it rights to the drug in all markets outside mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, above $1 billion.

It is the second licensing deal involving siRNA between GSK and a Chinese biotech in the last few months, coming after the UK-headquartered group paid $40 million upfront for two as-yet unidentified candidates from Frontier Biotechnologies, also for around $1 billion, that add to GSK's respiratory, immunology, and inflammation (RI&I) pipeline.

SiranBio said that targeting ALK7 can lead to a range of benefits in cardiometabolic diseases, including reducing visceral adipose tissue (VAT) whilst preserving lean muscle mass, which could lead to "improved insulin sensitivity, blood lipid profile, and reduced fat cell-driven inflammation."

The company added that there is evidence linking VAT to cardiometabolic risk, and that lowering it in people with chronic inflammatory diseases "could have a greater impact on their survival than managing the underlying disease alone." It views SA030 as being complementary to other drugs for cardiometabolic diseases, including GLP-1 agonists and SGLT2 inhibitors.

That profile suggests it could have broad utility in metabolic and vascular diseases, including obesity and related conditions like metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), which GSK is also targeting with two drug candidates – FGF21 analogue efimosfermin alfa and HSD17B13-directed siRNA candidate gatuzosiran (GSK532990) – which are respectively in phase 3 and phase 2 testing.

SiranBio will lead the clinical development of SA030 through the completion of phase 1 testing, after which GSK will assume responsibility for development, regulatory filings, and commercialisation activities in international markets.

"Cardiometabolic disease is the leading cause of death in most patients with chronic inflammatory conditions affecting the liver, lung, and kidney," said Kaivan Khavandi, GSK's head of RI&I R&D.

"This risk is driven by multiple factors, so novel complementary approaches are urgently needed," he added. "SA030 builds on our emerging pipeline targeting inflammation, fibrosis, and vascular drivers of disease, and may help improve outcomes for patients."