Foley Advises Hansoh Pharma on Collaboration Agreement with Silence Therapeutics to Develop Novel siRNA Therapeutics

Foley & Lardner LLP served as legal advisor to Shanghai-based research and development company Hansoh Pharmaceutical Group Co, Ltd (“Hansoh Pharma”) in their collaboration with London-based biotechnology company Silence Therapeutics plc, a leader in the discovery, development, and delivery of novel small interfering RNA (siRNA) therapeutics for the treatment of diseases with significant unmet medical need. As part of the collaboration, the companies will develop novel siRNA therapeutics for three undisclosed targets using Silence’s proprietary mRNAi GOLD™ platform.

Under the terms of the agreement, Hansoh Pharma will gain an exclusive option to license rights to the first two targets in Greater China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, while Silence will retain the rights in all other territories after the completion of Phase 1 studies. Additionally, Hansoh Pharma will have the exclusive option to license global rights to a third target at the point of investigational new drug (IND) filing and will also take responsibility for all development activities post-option exercise for the third target. Hansoh Pharma will make a $16 million upfront payment, and Silence is eligible to receive up to $1.3 billion in milestones, as well as royalties.

Founded in 1995, Hansoh Pharma is one of the largest biopharmaceutical companies in Greater China and Asia, whose mission is to improve human health through continuous innovation. With over 20 years of research and development (R&D) experience, Hansoh Pharma has fully integrated R&D, manufacturing, and commercial capabilities, supporting leading positions across a broad range of therapeutic areas, including oncology, central nervous system (CNS) disorders, infectious diseases, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and autoimmune diseases.

The Foley team was led by Partner Andrew Rawlins and Associate Chloe Talbert.

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