Santaris Pharma said this week that its worldwide strategic alliance with Pfizer has been expanded, triggering a $14 million payment from the big pharma for access to Santaris' locked nucleic acid technology for the development of RNA-targeting drugs.
The deal was first struck in 2009 between Santaris and Wyeth (GSN 1/15/2009). Under the terms of the deal, Wyeth was to select up to 10 targets against which Santaris would create LNA-based drug candidates, although a Wyeth official told Gene Silencing News at the time that the company had no plans to pursue microRNA targets.
Pfizer inherited the partnership when it acquired Wyeth late in 2009.
Under the terms of the expanded arrangement, Santaris stands to receive up to $600 million in milestones, plus royalties, on products developed through the collaboration.