Arrowhead acquires RNA assets and site from Roche, which takes minority stake in the firm

California, USA-based Arrowhead Research Corp Nasdaq: ARWR) said yesterday that it has acquired RNA therapeutics assets from Swiss drug major Roche (ROG: SIX) including the state-of-the-art research site in Madison, Wisconsin. As part of the deal, financial terms of which were not disclosed, Roche has obtained a minority stake in Arrowhead as well as rights to negotiate for certain future products, milestone payments and royalties on sales.

“This acquisition is transformational for us and important to the broader RNAi field,” said Christopher Anzalone, president and chief executive of Arrowhead, noting: “The combination of these assets and Arrowhead’s existing RNAi technologies results in what we believe to be the broadest RNAi therapeutics company in the world, with unparalleled delivery solutions and licenses granting broad freedom to operate within the three primary siRNA formats.”

Roche assets and IP acquired by Arrowhead include: