Novartis AG has agreed to acquire Avidity Biosciences Inc in a US$12bn transaction, set to close in Q1 2026. The acquisition is one of the largest ever in the RNA medicine field. It brings three late-stage, clinically advanced RNA therapies targeting neuromuscular diseases into Novartis\u2019 pipeline. According to market analyses, the first-in-class medicines target a world market of US$15bn.<\/p>\n
First-in-class RNA pipeline<\/p>\n
Avidity develops Antibody Oligonucleotide Conjugates (AOCs\u2122), which deliver RNA payloads directly to muscle tissue. The RNA payloads are designed to silence disease-causing genes, restore muscle function, and slow disease progression. The three late-stage programmes target Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD, Phase 1\/2 EXPLORE44\u00ae, delpacibart zotadirsen, del-zota), facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD, Phase 1\/2 FORTITUDE\u2122, delpacibart braxlosiran, del-brax) and myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1, Phase 3 HARBOR\u2122, del-desiran).<\/p>\n
Competitive landscape<\/p>\n
Avidity competes with several RNA-based neuromuscular programmes:<\/p>\n
Dyne Therapeutics<\/a> (FORCE\u2122): Antibody-oligonucleotide conjugates targeting TfR1 to silence DMPK mRNA in muscle cells, aiming to normalize splicing in DM1.<\/p>\n Sarepta Therapeutics<\/a> (Exon-Skipping ASOs): Antisense oligonucleotides that skip specific Dystrophin exons to produce functional protein in DMD.<\/p>\n Wave Life Sciences<\/a> (Stereopure Oligonucleotides): Chemically precise oligonucleotides targeting Dystrophin exons to restore correct splicing and protein expression.<\/p>\n