In an effort to expand its presence in renal diseases and strengthen its nucleic acid therapeutics pipeline, AstraZeneca has signed a collaboration, option and license agreement with CSPC Pharmaceutical Group to develop a novel small nucleic acid drug candidate for kidney disorders. The US$1.77 B deal leverages CSPC’s siRNA discovery platform and extrahepatic delivery technology to identify and advance preclinical candidates against two undisclosed renal targets. The agreement underscores AstraZeneca’s increasing interest in nucleic acid therapeutics as the industry looks beyond traditional drug modalities to target previously difficult-to-treat diseases globally today.