Rona Therapeutics Licenses Obesity Drug Candidate to Roche
The Santa Barbara company could collect as much as $1.06 billion in later milestone payments plus royalties on sales.
By Tom Hadley
· 1 min read
Rona Therapeutics said on Oct. 13, 2026, that it has given Roche an exclusive worldwide license to an experimental RNAi treatment aimed at ALK7, a target tied to obesity and metabolic disease, according to a statement the Santa Barbara, Calif., company issued through PR Newswire.
The deal pays Rona as much as $100 million in upfront and near-term milestone money, with up to $1.06 billion more tied to development, regulatory and commercial goals. Rona would also collect tiered royalties on worldwide net sales.
ALK7 is produced by the ACVR1C gene and shows up mostly in fat tissue. Blocking it acts on fat cells themselves rather than on appetite signals in the brain, the mechanism behind incretin drugs, which the company said could allow the candidate to be used alone or alongside existing obesity treatments. Rona described the approach as a way to cut visceral fat while keeping lean mass.
"ALK7 is a compelling obesity and metabolic disease target," said Stella Shi, chief executive and founder of Rona Therapeutics.
Boris L. Za\u00eftra, head of corporate business development at Roche, said the candidate adds to the drugmaker's cardiovascular, renal and metabolism pipeline.
Rona was founded in 2021 and works on RNAi therapies that reach tissues beyond the liver. Roche trades on the SIX exchange and over the counter in the United States.
This story was first reported by PR Newswire.
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