Novartis is getting back into bed with Alnylam. More than a decade after severing its ties to the RNAi pioneer, Novartis has returned to the deal table for an ambitious early-stage collaboration to restore liver function in patients with end-stage disease.
The project is focused on a liver target identified by Novartis. If the Swiss drugmaker is right, the target may hold the key to the development of a treatment that promotes the regrowth of functional liver cells. Such a therapy could free the around 9,000 U.S. patients who undergo liver transplants each year from the risks of complications related to the procedure and the side effects of anti-rejection medications.
