BioMarin Extends Gene Therapy Leadership with DiNAQOR in a Preclinical Collaboration & License Agreement

BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. (Nasdaq: BMRN) today announced that the company has entered into a preclinical collaboration and license agreement with DiNAQOR AG (DiNAQOR), a gene therapy platform company, to develop novel gene therapies to treat rare genetic cardiomyopathies. DiNAQOR will receive an undisclosed upfront payment and is eligible to receive development, regulatory and commercial milestones on product sales in addition to tiered royalties on worldwide sales.  The company did not disclose financial terms.  BioMarin management reiterated its 2020 GAAP net income guidance of $20 to $80 million, inclusive of this collaboration. The license initially covers DiNAQOR's lead program, DiNA-001 for MYBPC3 hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM).  Additionally, the companies will collaborate on several of DiNAQOR's other pipeline programs, and BioMarin has the option to extend the license to include these additional programs on similar terms.  Reflecting the long-term commitment to the collaboration, BioMarin is simultaneously investing in DiNAQOR. "With this agreement, BioMarin is continuing to apply its gene therapy know-how and manufacturing expertise in new areas like cardiology," said Jean-Jacques Bienaimé, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at BioMarin.  "This collaboration extends our global leadership position in gene therapy and boosts our potential to transform the lives of patients worldwide with rare genetic cardiomyopathies." "We are thrilled to collaborate with the researchers at DiNAQOR to conduct this pioneering work on the development of gene therapies for inherited cardiomyophathies," said Lon Cardon, Chief Scientific Strategy Officer and Senior Vice President at BioMarin.  "We believe there is tremendous potential in combining our experience in gene therapy research and development with DiNAQOR's in-depth knowledge of genetic heart diseases.