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Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has announced the signing of an asset purchase agreement between Sanofi and Visirna Therapeutics, a majority-owned subsidiary of Arrowhead created to develop and commercialise four of Arrowhead’s investigational cardiometabolic candidates in Greater China.
Under the terms, Sanofi will acquire rights to develop and commercialise investigational plozasiran, Arrowhead’s first-in-class RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutic candidate designed to reduce production of apolipoprotein C-III (APOC3) as a potential treatment for familial chylomicronemia syndrome (FCS) and severe hypertriglyceridemia (SHTG), in Greater China.
Visirna has completed a Phase 3 clinical trial of investigational plozasiran in Chinese patients with familial chylomicronemia syndrome (FCS), which successfully met its primary efficacy endpoint and all key secondary endpoints. Visirna subsequently submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) for plozasiran to the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) in China for the treatment of FCSand received official acceptance in January 2025. Plozasiran has also been granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation in the treatment of patients with FCS and Priority Review Designation by the China NMPA.
Upon closing of the Asset Purchase Agreement, Visirna will receive an upfront payment of $130 million from Sanofi. In addition, Visirna will be eligible to receive further milestone payments of up to $265 million upon approval of plozasiran across various indications in mainland China. Arrowhead is further eligible to receive royalties on net commercial product sales in Greater China as part of the Arrowhead-Visirna license which was assigned in part to Sanofi.
