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Alnylam Signs Deal with Merck to Develop RNAi Therapeutics

Sep 09, 2003

NEW YORK, Sept. 9 (GenomeWeb News) - Alnylam Holdings has signed on to a collaboration with Merck in order to further develop RNA interference technology and develop RNAi-based therapeutics, the companies said today.

 

Under the agreement, Merck will provide to Alnylam, of Cambridge, Mass., its own validated drug targets, and Alnylam will develop RNAi compounds against the targets. After the preclinical development phase, Merck and Alnylam will then decide which of the companies, or both companies, will take the compounds through the clinical development and marketing phase, the companies said.

 

Both companies said they will offer their resources to the collaboration, although they did not disclose the financial terms of the deal.

 

Alnylam has previously said it would have RNAi-based compounds in the clinic within two to three years.

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