Innovent Biologics and SanegeneBio have entered into a collaboration and co-development agreement for SGB-3908, an siRNA drug candidate targeting angiotensinogen (AGT) for the treatment of hypertension. Under the terms of the deal, Innovent will gain an exclusive option to license future development, manufacturing, and commercialization rights of SGB-3908.
SGB-3908 is an siRNA drug developed based on SanegeneBio’s proprietary LEAD (Ligand and Enhancer Assisted Delivery) platform. Under the agreement, both companies will be jointly responsible for developing SGB-3908 to a certain stage. Innovent will receive an exclusive option to obtain the license for development, manufacturing, and commercialization of SGB-3908 in different areas worldwide. Once Innovent exercises its option, SanegeneBio will be eligible for milestone payments and royalties based on net sales.
The collaboration aims to leverage the core technologies of both companies by combining SanegeneBio’s RNA technology with Innovent’s clinical development experience and commercialization capability.
“Innovent strategically invested in the CVM (congenital vascular malformation) area years ago, and has advanced multiple new-generation pipeline assets into late-stage development,” noted Yongjun Liu, president of Innovent. “This collaboration further broadens Innovent’s strategic presence in the CVM area. SGB-3908 has entered into the IND-enabling stage, and we look forward to working with SanegeneBio to advance the development of this drug as soon as possible, hoping to bring the innovative treatment to the broad hypertension patients.”
SGB-3908 targets AGT, a precursor in the Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System (RAAS) involved in blood pressure regulation. By inhibiting AGT synthesis in the liver, SGB-3908 is designed to reduce AGT protein levels, leading to decreased angiotensin (Ang) II, vasodilation, and lowered blood pressure.
Hypertension affects more than one billion people worldwide and increases the risks of developing cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, kidney damage, and impaired vision. The collaboration addresses challenges in hypertension treatment, such as daily drug administration and difficulties in symptom perception, potentially leading to poor compliance. SiRNA drugs like SGB-3908 offer a promising alternative by directly knocking down AGT expression, providing long efficacy duration, safety, and high compliance.
“SGB-3908 utilizes the company’s LEAD platform technology with independent intellectual property rights. Through the modular design of delivery ligands, delivery enhancer, sequence-dependent and position-specific chemical modifications, it can accurately knockdown the mRNA and protein expression levels of disease-causing genes and maintain excellent drug potency and efficacy duration,” said Weimin Wang, founder and CEO of SanegeneBio. “Innovent has deep expertise in R&D and extensive experience in clinical development and commercialization, combined with the advanced siRNA drug discovery technology of SanegeneBio, it will help us to unlock the full potential of RNAi technology, accelerate the clinical development and commercialization of our pipeline, and meet the unmet medical needs of the hypertension patients.”
Innovent, established in 2011, is dedicated to discovering, developing, manufacturing, and commercializing high-quality biopharmaceutical products. The company has a portfolio of 10 marketed products, with additional assets in various stages of development and strategic collaborations with international partners.
SanegeneBio, founded in 2021, specializes in RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutics. The company’s portfolio covers therapeutic areas such as cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, immunology-related diseases, and nervous system diseases. SanegeneBio is committed to developing transformative RNAi medicines through scientific innovation.
