Frontier Biotechnologies Inc has entered into an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement with biopharmaceutical company, GSK, granting the latter rights to develop, manufacture and commercialise two of its Small Interfering RNA (siRNA) pipeline assets.

Under the terms of the agreement, GSK will obtain exclusive global rights to the two investigational therapies — one currently at the Investigational New Drug (IND) stage and the other in preclinical development.

The deal includes a USD 40 million upfront payment to Frontier Biotech, along with up to USD 963 million in development, regulatory and commercial milestone payments across the two programmes. The agreement also provides for tiered royalties on global net sales.

As part of the collaboration, Frontier Biotech will advance one candidate through Phase I clinical trials in China and complete IND-enabling studies for the second programme. GSK will assume responsibility for subsequent global clinical development, regulatory filings and commercialisation.

Dr Dong Xie, Chairman and CEO of Frontier Biotech, said the agreement underscores the company’s growing research and development capabilities in early-stage siRNA drug discovery. He added that the partnership would strengthen international collaboration, accelerate pipeline value realisation, and support potential commercialisation efforts.

Oligonucleotide-based therapies, including siRNA, have gained momentum globally as they enable targeted gene silencing, offering a novel approach to previously undruggable disease pathways. The technology is expanding beyond rare diseases into broader chronic conditions such as cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and metabolic disorders, reflecting significant market potential.

Kaivan Khavandi, Senior Vice President and Global Head of Respiratory, Immunology and Inflammation R&D at GSK, said the agreement enhances the company’s immunology portfolio by adding two potential first-in-class oligonucleotide therapies. He noted that the candidates are aligned with GSK’s strategic focus on platform technologies and inflammation-driven diseases, particularly kidney disorders.