Argo Biopharma announced today that the company has completed phase 1 clinical trials in Australia and China in January 2024 for BW-01, its first independently developed siRNA drug for treating cardiovascular diseases by using Argo’s siRNA platform technology RADS, and these studies have obtained positive results.

The data showed that BW-01 demonstrated good safety and tolerability in both trials, with no deaths or adverse events leading to discontinuation and withdrawal, and no serious adverse events occurred in the treatment group. Single-dose subcutaneous administration showed significant improvements in pharmacodynamic parameters for up to 24 weeks. Argo Biopharma plans to launch the Phase 2 clinical trial of BW-01 in the first half of this year.

siRNA drugs (small interfering RNA drugs) are drugs with new technology that have emerged in recent years. They have the advantages of multiple targets, strong efficacy, good safety, low dosing frequency, and a wide range of indications, covering cardiovascular diseases, rare diseases, neurological diseases, viral hepatitis, ophthalmic diseases, tumors, etc. siRNA drugs have become one of the cutting-edge medical fields with great development potential worldwide.

Founded in 2021, Argo Biopharma is a clinical-stage biotechnology company committed to developing a new generation of siRNA drugs to provide better treatments for patients around the world. In less than three years, Argo Biopharma has established a rich and differentiated pipeline of siRNA drug candidates covering a wide range of indications. Argo Biopharma currently has five siRNA drugs entering the stage of phase 1 clinical trial. In November 2023, the company also announced the completion of series A+ financing totally 300 million RMB. This round of financing was led by CS Capital, co-invested by HUAGAI Capital, ONEHEALTH HAIHE Capital, and the old shareholder TRINITY INNOVATION Fund.

It is worth mentioning that Argo Biopharma had reached multiple RNAi project licenses and strategic cooperation with Novartis in January 2024. Under the agreement, Argo Biopharma will receive an upfront payment of US$185 million from Novartis, as well as a total potential transaction value of nearly US$4.2 billion from milestone payments and tiered royalties on commercial sales.