Voyager inks up to $845 million deal with Genzyme on novel CNS products

US gene therapy start-up company Voyager Therapeutics has entered into a major strategic collaboration with biotech firm Genzyme to discover, develop and commercialize novel gene therapies for severe CNS disorders.

Genzyme, a subsidiary of French pharma major Sanofi (Euronext: SAN) will make an upfront commitment of $100 million to Voyager, including $65 million in cash, a $30 million equity investment in Voyager, and additional in-kind contributions. Voyager which was established just last year, is also eligible to receive future potential development and sales milestone payments of up to $745 million, as well as tiered royalties on product sales.

“Through our combined efforts, Voyager and Genzyme are at the forefront of converting the promise of gene therapy into innovative therapies for CNS disorders that make a meaningful difference in patients’ lives,” said Steven Paul, president and chief executive of Voyager, and a former senior executive at Eli Lilly. “This strategic collaboration provides significant funding to drive the development of our expanded product pipeline, while also allowing Voyager to continue to thrive as an independent company,” he added.