Editas cashes in on portion of Vertex gene editing licensing agreement for $57M

Against the backdrop of a Cas9 patent battle that refuses to die, Editas Medicine is cashing in a chunk of the licensing rights from Vertex Pharmaceuticals to the tune of $57 million.

Last last year, Vertex paid Editas $50 million upfront—with potential for a further $50 million contingent payment and annual licensing fees—for the nonexclusive rights to Editas’ Cas9 tech for ex vivo gene editing medicines targeting the BCL11A gene in sickle cell disease (SCD) and beta thalassemia.