Carlsbad’s Ionis Pharmaceuticals struck a deal worth up to $940 million with Japan-based Ono Pharmaceutical for its medicine targeting a chronic blood disorder.
The Carlsbad company develops RNA-targeted therapies for neurology, cardiology and other rare conditions. The Ionis drug, sapablursen, is an RNA-targeted therapy for a rare blood disease called polycythemia vera. The condition causes the overproduction of red blood cells, thickening the blood and possibly causing serious blood clots.
Ono Pharmaceutical will pay $280 million upfront for the exclusive global license to develop and commercialize sapablursen. Ionis will be responsible for completing the drug’s Phase 2 study and could receive up to $660 million in additional payments for hitting development, regulatory and sales milestones.
The local company will also be eligible for royalties “in the mid-teens” based on the drug’s annual net sales.
“Ionis remains committed to advancing the wholly owned medicines we choose to commercialize ourselves, which includes our first independent launch currently underway and three additional anticipated launches in the next three years,” said Ionis CEO Brett P. Monia. “Streamlining our Ionis-owned portfolio provides financial flexibility, ing our commitment to invest in and focus on our near and mid-term commercial opportunities and generate substantial revenue growth.”
Viking Therapeutics signs $150M manufacturing deal
San Diego biotech Viking Therapeutics is preparing to ramp up production of its obesity drugs through a $150 million manufacturing deal.
Viking Therapeutics is developing a pipeline of therapies for metabolic and endocrine disorders. The company’s medicines targeting obesity have gotten attention recently amid the public’s demand for injectable glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) agonists, some more commonly known as Ozempic and Wegovy.
Viking’s manufacturing deal secures manufacturing capacity and fulfillment of its injectable and oral formulation of a new, dual GLP-1 and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) agonists aimed at treating obesity. Similar FDA-approved dual agonist injectables currently on the market include Mounjaro and Zepbound.
CordenPharma, which is a contract development and manufacturing organization, will dedicate an entire production line to Viking Therapeutics to ensure sufficient supply. Viking will retain all global rights to the its drug as part of the agreement.
“CordenPharma’s established presence in commercial peptide manufacturing gives us confidence in their ability to deliver supply commensurate with what we anticipate will be significant commercial demand,” said Viking CEO Brian Lian.
The local company will prepay CordenPharma $150 million over the course of four years from 2025 through 2028.
Telesis Bio secures up to $21M
Local biotech Telesis Bio recently entered a stock purchase agreement to secure up to $21 million to its development of synthetic biology tools.
The company’s private placement funding was led by Novalis LifeSciences and Northpond Ventures. The local company’s technology is used to synthesize the raw materials, DNA and RNA, that scientists use to develop precision medicine, vaccines and gene therapies.
Telesis Bio recently launched its platform called Gibson SOLA, which allows researchers to make their own DNA and RNA within their lab, rather than outsourcing the process to another firm.
Biocom California partnership bolsters future biotech workforce
San Diego-based Biocom California has partnered with Santa Clara University to launch a program that trains teachers to integrate practical biomanufacturing skills into their curriculum.
The Biocom Institute, which is the workforce-focused part of the biotech trade organization, will work with colleges to bridge the gap between academic instruction and skills needed for the high demand, future biotech workforce.
In addition to augmenting the existing biomanufacturing analytics curriculum at four-year universities, the partnership aims to community colleges across California. For example, it will offer ready-to-use instruction for community college professors to introduce Python programming language as it applies to the life science industry.
The project, which is also ed by Genentech and Merck, is funded by a $500,000 award from the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals.
