Sironax Announces Novartis Exercises Option to Acquire Brain Delivery Platform

Sironax, a global clinical-stage biotechnology company, announced that Novartis has exercised its exclusive option to acquire the full global rights to Sironax’s proprietary brain delivery platform. The transaction, announced in July 2025, will see Sironax receive $125 million upon closing. This acquisition marks a significant milestone for Sironax, validating its innovative technology and the expertise of its multidisciplinary R&D team.

The brain delivery platform developed by Sironax is designed to overcome the longstanding challenge of delivering therapeutic modalities across the blood-brain barrier. The platform includes proprietary brain delivery modules that can potentially enable the in vivo transport of diverse therapeutic modalities, such as monoclonal antibodies, peptides, proteins, gene therapies, and other large biologics. This technology holds promise for treating a wide range of neurological disorders, including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and other conditions.

Sironax currently has three clinical-stage programs in Phase 1b/2, each with first- or potentially best-in-class molecules. The company is developing SIR2501, an allosteric inhibitor of SARM1, to prevent neuroaxonal damage in diseases such as ALS and chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. SIR4156 is an allosteric and globally first-in-class NAMPT activator for metabolic dysfunction, while SIR9900 is a highly selective, brain-penetrant allosteric RIPK1 inhibitor, targeting inflammatory and immunological diseases.

Dr. Shefali Agarwal, President and CEO of Sironax, stated, "This acquisition by a global pharmaceutical leader is a major milestone for Sironax and strongly validates our science, proprietary technology, and the expertise of our R&D team. The proceeds from this transaction will strengthen our ability to execute our strategy and continue our mission of bringing transformative medicines to patients."

The company will retain development, manufacturing, and commercialization rights to selected assets using the platform. Sironax will continue to advance its clinical-stage pipeline and accelerate the development of promising new therapies. The proceeds from the transaction will support the company's ongoing research and development efforts, enabling it to explore new avenues for treating a variety of diseases.

Sironax, headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, is a global clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing transformative therapies for neurodegenerative, inflammatory and immunologic, metabolic, and rare diseases. The company's pipeline includes programs targeting contributors of aging, such as degeneration, metabolic dysfunction, and inflammation. Sironax was named to the 2025 Endpoints 11 list of the most promising biotech startups.