Novartis inked a $200 million upfront licensing agreement with Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals for a preclinical RNA interference drug designed to silence alpha-synuclein, a protein implicated in Parkinson’s disease and related neurodegenerative disorders. The deal includes potential milestone payments exceeding $2 billion and royalty rights. Arrowhead will conduct preclinical studies while Novartis drives clinical development and commercialization, with opportunities to explore additional CNS targets using Arrowhead’s delivery technology. This collaboration represents Novartis’ renewed focus on innovative RNA-based therapies in neurodegeneration amid setbacks in other Parkinson’s drug candidates.