Novartis and Quark sign gene silencing deal

Novartis has joined the race to develop a ‘gene silencing’ treatment by signing a new deal with siRNA specialist Quark Pharma for its kidney injury drug.

Small interfering RNA (siRNA) therapies could be next big thing, with a number of big pharma companies, including AstraZeneca and Roche, signing similar deals in recent years.

The siRNA therapy is a pharmacological process that promises to ‘silence’ or switch off certain genes and viruses responsible for a number of illnesses such as asthma, diabetes, hepatitis C and Huntingdon’s Disease. 

Quark Pharma specialises in novel RNA interference (RNAi) therapies and is currently focused on targeting tissue and organ cell death in areas including the eye, ear, lung, spinal cord, brain and kidney. 

Quark Pharma has granted Novartis an option to obtain the exclusive right to develop and commercialise its siRNA kidney injury drug QP1-1002, a p53 temporary inhibitor.

The drug is in a phase II trial for the prevention of acute kidney injury in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. It is also being explored in delayed graft function (DGF) in kidney transplants patients.

It targets apoptosis, or ‘cell death’ by temporarily helping cells and preventing them from dying in conditions of severe stress, such as strokes.  

Quark will initially receive an upfront fee of $10 million and if Novartis agrees to take the license, Quark would receive fees and milestone payments that could potentially total $670 million.

In addition Quark would also be entitled to potential royalties on sales of licensed products.

Dr. Daniel Zurr, Quark's chief executive, said: "We are very pleased to have reached this agreement with Novartis. We believe that Novartis represents an outstanding partner for Quark. With its world-leading expertise in transplantation and acute care Novartis will provide invaluable support to the global development of QPI-1002.”

Zurr also said that this could open up other opportunities for Novartis for a number of novel treatments in additional indications.

Ben Adams