Hansoh Pharmaceutical Group Co Ltd. and OliX Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced a licensing and collaboration agreement to discover, develop and commercialize siRNA therapeutics in key targeted indications in Greater China, which includes mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau. As part of the collaboration agreement, the companies will leverage OliX Pharmaceuticals' GalNAc-asiRNA platform to address various liver-based targets that are implicated in cardiovascular, metabolic, and other indications, utilizing Hansoh's strong R&D, manufacturing and commercialization capabilities in Greater China. Through this agreement, OliX will use its GalNAc-asiRNA platform technology to discover lead compounds and secure development candidates for targets in cardiovascular, metabolic, and other diseases associated with the liver.

Hansoh will have exclusive commercial rights to these therapeutics in Greater China and OliX will have rights in the rest of the world. OliX will receive an initial upfront payment of $6.5 million with up to $450 million plus royalties based on key milestones. Asymmetric small interfering RNA: Asymmetric small interfering RNA (asiRNA) represents the next generation of RNAi therapeutics through efficient gene regulation.

Compared to existing siRNA therapeutics, OliX Pharmaceuticals' asiRNA shows comparable gene silencing and significantly reduced siRNA-mediated side effects such as off-target gene silencing and immune stimulation.