Under the deal, Eli Lilly will pay MiNA $25 million upfront, with MiNA eligible to receive milestone payments of up to $245 million per target. Eli Lilly will be responsible for preclinical and clinical development of the drug candidates and will retain exclusive commercialization rights for any products that result from the collaboration.
“Small activating RNAs are a promising new technology, which will expand the breadth of Lilly’s RNA therapeutics platform and the targets we can pursue,” Andrew Adams, PhD, Eli Lilly’s vice president for new therapeutic modalities, said in a news release. “We are excited about the potential of combining MiNA’s leading saRNA platform and our expertise in new modalities to accelerate development of RNA-based medicines in areas of high unmet medical need.”
MiNA, a London-based biotechnology company, has signed similar contracts with drugmakers for research collaborations using its small activating RNA platform, including its 2017 deal with Boehringer Ingelheim and its 2020 deal with AstraZeneca.
