Dicerna enters alliance to develop hepatitis B drugs

Dicerna Pharmaceuticals has signed a research collaboration and licensing agreement with Roche to create treatments for chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. The partnership will leverage Dicerna’s GalXC RNAi platform, designed to develop RNAi-based therapies that silence genes, which cause diseases in the liver and other organs. Initially, the companies will work to develop and commercialise Dicerna’s investigational drug, DCR-HBVS, worldwide. DCR-HBVS is currently in Phase I development for chronic HBV infection treatment. It uses RNA interference to target specific genes associated with the formation of HBV messenger RNA (mRNA) and the virus entry into liver cells. The companies also intend to use their technologies to identify and develop therapies that act on various viral and human genes involved in HBV infection. Dicerna Pharmaceuticals president and CEO Douglas Fambrough said: “With its deep expertise in HBV and established global infrastructure, Roche is ideally suited to help us accelerate the development and commercialisation of DCR-HBVS, pursue a cure for chronic HBV infection and address this serious global threat to public health.”