China-based Ribo Life Science and its subsidiary Ribocure Pharmaceuticals have entered into a global exclusive licensing agreement with Madrigal Pharmaceuticals to jointly develop six siRNA therapies for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH). The partnership will utilise Ribo's proprietary liver-targeting RiboGalSTAR delivery platform. Ribo will grant Madrigal exclusive global rights to develop, manufacture and commercialise the clinical-stage assets, which include both single-target and dual-target siRNA candidates.

Under the agreement, Ribo will receive an upfront payment of USD 60 million and is eligible for up to a cumulative total of USD 4.4 billion, including the upfront and future development, regulatory and commercial milestone payments. Ribo will also receive royalties on global net sales of the partnered products. The deal addresses a significant unmet medical need in MASH, a progressive liver disease that can lead to fibrosis, cirrhosis and liver cancer, and represents a major global market opportunity.

PharmCube's NextBiopharm® database shows that this is the largest MASH siRNA licensing transaction so far, and the third largest in the siRNA space. Click here to request a free trial for NextBiopharm®.