Shire, CF Foundation in $15M discovery deal

Shire plc (LSE:SHP; NASDAQ:SHPG) partnered with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's drug development arm to develop mRNA replacement therapies to treat CF patients with mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator ( CFTR) gene. Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics Inc. (CFFT) will invest up to $15 million in Shire's platform, which has produced therapies in Shire's preclinical pipeline.

CFFT has also partnered with Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE), Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:VRTX) and the Genzyme Corp. unit of Sanofi (Euronext:SAN; NYSE:SNY) to develop CF therapies. ...