Roche signs US$2.8 billion Anylam deal for hypertension drug

ROCHE Holding will work together with Alnylam Pharmaceuticals on a potential treatment for high blood pressure in a deal worth as much as US$2.8 billion, expanding the Swiss company’s footprint beyond the cancer therapies that long anchored its business.

Roche will pay Alnylam US$310 million in cash upfront, together with development, regulatory and sales milestones, the companies said in statements on Monday (Jul 24). If they’re successful in bringing the drug to market, they’ll sell it together in the US while Roche gets exclusive rights in the rest of the world.

Pressure is growing on Roche to deliver results from its pipeline of experimental drugs after high-profile failures last year in both cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. The company has reshaped its portfolio amid biosimilar competition for its trio of blockbuster cancer medicines.

The Alnylam drug, zilebesiran, is an experimental shot that uses RNAi technology. It’s in mid-stage human trials after delivering promising results in an early study.

Roche shares were little changed on Monday morning. BLOOMBERG