Shire enters agreement with Santaris

Shire has announced an agreement with Santaris that will see the firms work together on the development of the former’s proprietary Locked Nucleic Acid technology in a variety of rare conditions.

In a statement, the organisation explained that this will allow it to enhance its human genetic therapies (HGT) business unit.

Commenting on the move, Sylvie Gregoire, president of Shire HGT, said that the deal means the company now has the potential to shift into a wider range of genetic orphan conditions.

“We will look to develop treatments for people with a variety of rare life-altering and life-threatening conditions that to date, could not be effectively addressed by enzyme replacement therapy (ERT),” she added.

Shire noted that, at present, it has a successful platform for producing human cell-derived ERTs for an array of rare genetic disorders.

Earlier this month, the company announced the launch of two initiatives that aim to reinforce its commitment to the care of adult patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.