Arrowhead links with Horizon on RNAi therapeutic for uncontrolled gout

Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals’ (Nasdaq: ARWR) shares gained nearly 5% to $89.81 yesterday, after the US firm announced a global collaboration and license deal with Ireland-headquartered Horizon Therapeutics (Nasdaq: HZNP).

The agreement is for ARO-XDH, a previously undisclosed discovery-stage investigational RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutic being developed by Arrowhead as a potential treatment for people with uncontrolled gout.

Gout is a serious and painful form of arthritis that is caused by excess uric acid in the blood. In the USA, there are more than nine million gout patients and approximately a third of those patients are treated with oral urate-lowering therapies. However, a meaningful portion of treated patients do not respond sufficiently to treatment and therefore continue to experience painful and debilitating gout symptoms. XDH represents a clinically validated target that is the primary source of serum uric acid (sUA). High levels of sUA, if left untreated or undertreated, can potentially lead to serious long-term or even permanent damage to the bones, joints and organs.