Boehringer, MiNA strike NASH development deal

Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH (Ingelheim, Germany) partnered with MiNA Therapeutics Ltd. (London, U.K.) to develop fibrotic liver disease therapeutics based on MiNA’s small activating RNA (saRNA) technology in a deal worth up to €307 million ($355.7 million). MiNA will receive an upfront payment and R&D funding and is eligible for milestones, plus up to double-digit royalties.

The companies will identify targets that restore hepatocyte metabolic function and prevent fibrotic tissue formation in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). MiNA’s saRNAs are designed to recruit endogenous transcription complexes to a target gene to increase naturally processed mRNA expression and replicate full functionality of the gene...