Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that its collaboration with AstraZeneca to discover and develop antisense drugs for cardiovascular, metabolic and renal diseases has received clearance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act.  

AstraZeneca will pay Isis a $65 million up-front payment. Isis is eligible to receive development and regulatory milestones for each program that AstraZeneca advances to clinical development.  Isis Pharmaceuticals is also eligible to earn tiered double-digit royalties on annual net sales for each programme.

AstraZeneca is a global, innovation-driven biopharmaceutical business that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialisation of prescription medicines, primarily for the treatment of cardiovascular, metabolic, respiratory, inflammation, autoimmune, oncology, infection and neuroscience diseases.

Isis is exploiting its leadership position in RNA-targeted technology to discover and develop novel drugs for its product pipeline and for its partners.