Novo Nordisk has agreed to acquire Dicerna Pharmaceuticals, a Lexington, Massachusetts-based bio/pharmaceutical company specializing in ribonucleic acid interference (RNAi) therapeutics, for $3.3 billion.

Using its proprietary RNAi technologies, Dicerna develops RNAi-based therapies to selectively silence genes that cause or contribute to disease. Dicerna’s RNAi technology platform enables access to intracellular disease targets across hepatic and extrahepatic cell and tissue types.

In 2019, Novo Nordisk formed a research collaboration with Dicerna to discover and develop RNAi therapies that encompassed more than 30 liver cell targets with the potential to deliver multiple clinical candidates for disorders, including for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, Type 2 diabetes, obesity, and rare diseases. Novo Nordisk expects to initiate clinical development with the first target in 2022.

Under the terms of the agreement, Novo Nordisk will commence a cash tender offer to acquire all outstanding shares of Dicerna’s common stock for a total equity value of approximately $3.3 billion. Upon the successful completion, Novo Nordisk’s acquisition subsidiary will merge into Dicerna. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2021.

Source: Novo Nordisk and Dicerna Pharmaceuticals