What Argo Biopharma does

Argo Biopharma is a clinical-stage biotechnology company founded in 2021 and headquartered in Shanghai (Jiading district, with corporate operations in Pudong New Area), with a regional office in New York supporting international business development. The company is dedicated to developing next-generation siRNA (small interfering RNA) therapeutics and is built around its proprietary RADS platform (RNA molecules with superior Activity, Durability, and Safety), which combines chemical modification, sequence design, and extrahepatic delivery capabilities. Argo's stated design goal is 'one injection per year' dosing for certain indications. The company currently has seven RNAi candidates in clinical development and a broader pipeline of more than 20 therapeutic programs spanning cardiovascular disease, hereditary angioedema, chronic hepatitis B, complement-mediated diseases (paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, IgA nephropathy), transthyretin amyloidosis, hypertension, metabolic disorders, and neurodegenerative conditions.

Argo's commercial model is licensing- and collaboration-driven rather than product-sales-driven. The company has executed two landmark multi-asset collaborations with Novartis — a January 2024 deal valued at $185 million upfront plus up to $4.165 billion in potential milestones and tiered royalties, and a September 2025 expansion delivering $160 million upfront plus up to $5.2 billion in potential value — covering cardiovascular siRNA programs (BW-20829/Lp(a), BW-00163/hypertension, BW-00112/ANGPTL3, plus discovery-stage molecules). Argo retains rights in Greater China for most programs and advances several wholly-owned assets independently, including BW-20805 (HAE, FDA Fast Track), BW-20507 (chronic hepatitis B, NMPA Breakthrough Therapy Designation), BW-40202 (complement), BW-50218 (ATTR), and BW-01 (severe hypertriglyceridemia). Equity funding has come from Apricot Capital (angel), Loyal Valley Capital (Series A lead), CS Capital (Series A+ lead), and a syndicate of Chinese growth investors, totaling approximately $108 million across three pre-2024 rounds.

The company is led by co-founders Dr. Dongxu Shu (CEO, ex-Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals) and Dr. Patrick Shao (CSO, ex-Arrowhead/Merck), with Dr. James Jin (CMO, previously Head of Clinical Development at Novartis China where he led the Asia Phase 3 of LEQVIO/inclisiran), Patrick Gallagher (CBO/Head of US, ex-Pfizer/AbbVie/Flagship), and — as of March 2026 — Dr. Gena Wang (CFO/CSO, ex-Barclays top-3 ranked biotech analyst) rounding out the executive team. Argo was named to Fast Company's 2026 list of the World's Most Innovative Companies, reflecting external validation of its RADS platform and pipeline productivity.

Name

Argo Biopharma

Legal name

Argo Biopharma Research Corporation

Website

https://argobiopharma.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Argo Biopharma is a clinical-stage Chinese biotechnology company developing next-generation siRNA therapeutics through its proprietary RADS platform, targeting cardiovascular, rare, viral, and metabolic diseases for global out-licensing, primarily to Novartis.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

RNAi Therapeutics / siRNA Drug Development

NAICS

Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

siRNA Therapeutics (gene silencing) (HLAAADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

RNA Therapeutics Platforms & Design (sequence design, target ID/validation, AI/bioinformatics) (HLAAADAG), RNA Therapeutics Clinical Development (trial design, endpoints, patient stratification) (HLAAADAH), RNA Chemistry & Oligonucleotide Engineering (backbones, modifications, stereochemistry) (HLAAADAE)

Keywords

• SiRNA therapeutics
• RNAi drug development
• Cardiovascular disease treatment
• Chronic hepatitis B therapy
• Hereditary angioedema drug

Headquarters

HQ city

Jiading

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Licensing and Milestone Payments: Argo Biopharma generates revenue through licensing deals with pharmaceutical companies. The company receives upfront payments, milestone payments tied to clinical and regulatory achievements, and tiered royalties on commercial sales.
2. Strategic Collaborations: Multi-program RNAi licenses and strategic collaborations with Novartis generating upfront payments of $185 million in January 2024 and $160 million in September 2025, with total potential deal values exceeding $4 billion and $5 billion respectively.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Argo Biopharma is a clinical-stage biotechnology company that develops next-generation siRNA (small interfering RNA) therapeutics using its proprietary RADS platform (RNA molecules with superior Activity, Durability, and Safety). The company advances a pipeline of RNAi drug candidates targeting cardiovascular diseases, rare diseases, viral infections (HBV), complement-mediated diseases, and metabolic conditions, and monetizes these candidates through licensing and strategic collaboration agreements with global pharmaceutical companies such as Novartis.

Product overview

Argo Biopharma is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing next-generation siRNA (small interfering RNA) therapeutics powered by its proprietary RADS platform. The company has a robust pipeline of multiple siRNA drug candidates targeting cardiovascular diseases (BW-01, BW-20829), rare diseases (BW-20805 for HAE), viral infections (BW-20507 for HBV), complement-mediated diseases (BW-40202 for PNH/IgAN), metabolic conditions, and specialty diseases. The company collaborates strategically with Novartis for several cardiovascular programs (BW-00163, BW-20829) and advances multiple candidates independently. Currently, seven RNAi candidates are in clinical development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• RADS siRNA Platform Proprietary siRNA drug discovery and development platform (RNA molecules with superior Activity, Durability, and Safety) used by Argo Biopharma to design, modify, and deliver next-generation RNAi therapeutics targeting a broad range of indications including cardiovascular diseases, rare diseases, viral infections, metabolic conditions, and CNS disorders. The platform supports sequence design, chemical modification, hepatic and extrahepatic delivery, and is engineered for long-acting dosing profiles.
• BW-01 SiRNA therapeutic candidate for severe hypertriglyceridemia and cardiovascular disease, developed from the RADS platform; the first independently developed siRNA drug by Argo Biopharma.
• BW-20805 (PKK) SiRNA therapeutic targeting prekallikrein (PKK) for the prophylactic treatment of hereditary angioedema (HAE); demonstrated 99% reduction in time-normalized HAE attack rate with 83% of participants attack-free at 600mg Q24W dose and over 90% plasma PKK reduction across all treatment groups.
• BW-20507 SiRNA molecule targeting HBV messenger RNA for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B (CHB); received Breakthrough Therapy Designation from China CDE of NMPA based on potent antiviral activity and favorable safety profile in early-stage clinical trials.
• BW-40202 (CFB) SiRNA therapeutic targeting complement factor B (CFB) mRNA in the liver for complement-mediated diseases including paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) and IgA nephropathy (IgAN).
• BW-50218 SiRNA therapeutic targeting transthyretin protein (TTR) for the potential treatment of ATTR amyloidosis and other TTR-related diseases, developed from the RADS platform with hepatic delivery.
• BW-20829 (DII235) SiRNA therapeutic targeting elevated Lipoprotein(a) in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease; licensed to Novartis and progressed to Phase 2b under the exclusive collaboration agreement.
• BW-00163 (QCZ484) SiRNA therapeutic for hypertension developed from the RADS platform; part of the exclusive license and collaboration agreement with Novartis (the fourth RADS platform asset to enter mid-stage clinical development).

Quantifiable outcome

• BW-20805 achieved 99% reduction in time-normalized HAE attack rate with 83% of participants attack-free at 600mg Q24W dose
• +4 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered flagship.

• NovartisflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 September 2025Expanded multi-asset collaboration with Novartis for cardiovascular disease programs. Novartis received option to license ex-China rights to two discovery-stage molecules for severe hypertriglyceridemia and mixed dyslipidemia, plus right of first negotiation for BW-00112 (ANGPTL3) in Phase II. Deal includes $160 million upfront, potential milestones up to $5.2 billion, and tiered royalties. This builds on the January 2024 partnership valued at $4.165 billion total potential.
• NovartisflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 January 2024Landmark multi-program RNAi licensing and strategic collaboration with Novartis. Argo granted Novartis exclusive global license for Phase 1 cardiovascular program, exclusive ex-Greater China license for Phase 1/2a cardiovascular program, and option to license compounds directed against up to two additional cardiovascular targets. Novartis paid $185 million upfront with total potential deal value up to $4.165 billion plus tiered royalties.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Alnylam Pharmaceuticals: Market-leading siRNA therapeutics company with multiple approved products (Givlaari, Oxlumo, Leqvio, Amvuttra). Directly comparable to Argo as a clinical/commercial-stage siRNA developer targeting similar cardiovascular, rare disease, and metabolic indications with GalNAc-conjugated RNAi platform.
• Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals: Clinical-stage siRNA company with the TRiM platform targeting liver and extrahepatic tissues. Several Argo founders (CEO Dongxu Shu, CSO Patrick Shao) were previously at Arrowhead, making it the most direct platform and people-comparable peer.
• Silence Therapeutics: UK-based clinical-stage siRNA company developing GalNAc-conjugated RNAi therapeutics for cardiovascular and rare diseases. Direct platform and indication overlap, including Lp(a) and cardiovascular programs that compete with Argo's BW-20829 and BW-00163.
• Dicerna Pharmaceuticals (Novo Nordisk): Acquired by Novo Nordisk in 2021 for its GalXC RNAi platform. Direct platform peer historically; under Novo Nordisk, continues to compete in cardiometabolic RNAi — relevant comparable for what a major-pharma-acquired siRNA platform looks like at scale.

Broad incumbents

• Ionis Pharmaceuticals: Established antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) therapeutics company with multiple approved products (Spinraza, Tegsedi, Waylivra). Competes in adjacent RNA-targeting modality for similar indications including cardiovascular and rare disease; relevant for platform validation and partnering models.
• Novo Nordisk: Global pharmaceutical leader with significant RNAi investment through Dicerna acquisition and independent cardiovascular/metabolic programs. Comparable as the type of deep-pocketed incumbent that could be a future acquirer or strategic partner for Argo-style siRNA platforms.

Emerging players

• Wave Life Sciences: Clinical-stage RNA therapeutics company using PRISM platform for stereopure oligonucleotides. Comparable as a smaller-cap RNA platform targeting neurological and rare diseases with differentiated chemistry — relevant peer for Argo's extrahepatic delivery ambitions.
• Vir Biotechnology: Clinical-stage infectious disease company with siRNA-based hepatitis B program (VIR-2218). Directly comparable to Argo's BW-20507 for chronic hepatitis B as the leading competing RNAi approach to functional cure.

Others

• Novartis: Argo's flagship strategic partner with multiple licensed siRNA programs and >$9B in potential deal value. Relevant as the incumbent that has validated Argo's platform and that any future investor would benchmark against for ongoing partnership economics.

Regional players

• Ribocure Pharmaceuticals: China-based clinical-stage siRNA therapeutics company developing cardiovascular and rare disease RNAi drugs. Closest geographic/direct competitor in the China siRNA ecosystem, with overlapping cardiovascular and HAE programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shanghai-argo-biopharmaceutical-co-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors8 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Argo Biopharma