Wave Life Sciences and GSK Announce Collaboration

Clinical-stage genetic medicines company Wave Life Sciences and GSK have announced a strategic collaboration to advance oligonucleotide therapeutics, including Wave’s WVE-006 preclinical RNA editing program targeting alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD). The discovery collaboration has an initial four-year research term. It combines GSK’s unique insights from human genetics, as well as its global development and commercial capabilities, with Wave’s Prism proprietary discovery and drug development platform.

Oligonucleotides are short strands of DNA or RNA that can reduce, restore, or modulate RNA through several different mechanisms. The unique capability of oligonucleotides to address a wide range of genomic targets in multiple therapeutic areas is enabling new opportunities to treat a range of human diseases, including diseases where no medicines currently exist or that have historically been difficult to treat with small molecules or biologics. Wave’s Prism platform is the only oligonucleotide platform offering three RNA-targeting modalities (editing, splicing, and silencing, including siRNA and antisense). Importantly, these modalities incorporate novel chemistry to optimize the pharmacological properties of therapeutic oligonucleotides.

Under the terms of the agreement, Wave will receive an upfront payment of $170 million, which includes a cash payment of $120 million and a $50 million equity investment. For the WVE-006 program, Wave is eligible to receive up to $225 million in development and launch milestone payments and up to $300 million in sales-related milestone payments, as well as tiered sales royalties. Development and commercialization responsibilities will transfer to GSK after Wave completes the first-in-patient study.

For each of GSK’s eight collaboration programs, Wave will be eligible to receive up to $130-$175 million in development and launch milestones and $200 million in sales-related milestones, along with tiered sales royalties. Wave will lead all preclinical research for GSK and Wave programs up to investigational new drug (IND) enabling studies. GSK collaboration programs will transfer to GSK for IND-enabling studies, clinical development, and commercialization. The collaboration includes an option to extend the research term for up to three additional years, expanding the number of programs available to both parties. (Source: Wave Life Sciences Website, 13 December, 2022)