Novartis will spend up to $1.7 billion to acquire the biotechnology company Regulus Therapeutics.

Novartis Pharmaceuticals announced that it has reached an agreement to acquire the American biotechnology company Regulus Therapeutics, with the deal including an upfront payment of $800 million and potentially up to an additional $900 million upon reaching future regulatory milestones. The transaction is expected to be completed in the second half of this year. Regulus is dedicated to the development of microRNA therapies and focuses on treating autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease.