SHANGHAI, CHINA and BOSTON, USA – June, 5, 2025 – Argo Biopharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Argo Biopharma), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing next-generation siRNA therapeutics, today announced that BW-00163 has progressed into a Phase 2 clinical trial for the treatment of hypertension. BW-00163 also known as QCZ484 is part of an exclusive license and collaboration agreement with Novartis (NYSE: NVS). With the asset’s advancement into Phase 2 clinical development, Argo Biopharma has received a milestone payment, which will provide valuable financial support to fuel further innovation.

"We are delighted that Novartis has advanced BW-00163 into Phase 2 trials for patients suffering from hypertension," said Dr. Dongxu Shu, Co-Founder, Chairman of the Board, and Chief Executive Officer of Argo Biopharma. "Novartis is a global leader in developing innovative treatments for cardiovascular diseases and has been an exceptional collaborator. We look forward to continued collaboration and rapid progress with the Novartis team to bring potential new treatment options to patients worldwide."

BW-00163 is the fourth asset from Argo’s next-generation siRNA platform, RADS™, to enter mid-stage clinical development. Additional information about the trial can be found at ClinicalTrials.gov (Identifier: NCT06857955).

About Argo Biopharma

Argo Biopharma is a clinical-stage biotechnology company committed to developing next-generation RNAi therapeutics to provide better treatment options for patients worldwide. The company has established a robust and diverse pipeline of RNAi drug candidates targeting a wide range of indications, including cardiovascular diseases, viral infections, metabolic conditions and specialty/rare diseases. Currently, Argo Biopharma has six RNAi candidates in clinical development.

In a noteworthy milestone, Argo Biopharma entered into two exclusive license and collaboration agreements with Novartis announced in January 2024 for $185 million in upfront payments and a total potential deal value exceeding $4 billion.

For more information, visit www.argobiopharma.com