GSK will obtain rights to develop, manufacture, and commercialise two of Frontier Biotech’s siRNA pipeline products
Frontier Biotech has entered an exclusive licensing agreement with GSK, a global biopharma company. Under the agreement, GSK will obtain rights to develop, manufacture, and commercialise two of Frontier Biotech’s Small Interfering RNA (siRNA) pipeline products: one is at the Investigational New Drug (IND) stage, and the other is a preclinical candidate.
Frontier Biotech will be responsible for advancing the two investigational assets, taking one asset through a Phase I clinical trial in China and completing IND-enabling activities for the other. GSK will be responsible for all subsequent clinical development, regulatory submissions, and commercialisation activities.
Dr Dong Xie, chairman and CEO of Frontier Biotech, said, “We are excited to establish the agreement with GSK, a global biopharma company. It reflects the growing recognition of our R&D capabilities. This agreement will solidify a robust foundation for Frontier Biotech by deepening international collaborations, accelerating pipeline value conversion, and potentially achieving commercialisation.”
Oligonucleotides, such as siRNA therapies, have emerged as a major development opportunity in the global pharmaceutical sector in recent years. siRNA therapies address three limitations of traditional drug development by enabling precise gene silencing of previously undruggable targets, providing durable, highly specific efficacy, and a versatile platform applicable across a range of diseases.
Currently, siRNA drug development is accelerating its expansion from rare diseases into common chronic disease areas such as cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and metabolic disorders.
Kaivan Khavandi, SVP and global head, Respiratory, Immunology and Inflammation R&D at GSK, said, “This agreement further strengthens our immunology pipeline, adding two potential first-in-class oligonucleotide therapies with significant opportunity to improve patient outcomes across multiple kidney diseases. These assets are well-aligned with our strategic focus on platform technologies and inflammatory-driven disease, and we look forward to working with Frontier Biotech to progress them through development.”
