Alnylam Pharmaceuticals this week announced that it has received a $3.2 million milestone payment from GlaxoSmithKline related to the companies' collaboration on influenza vaccine production.
Late last year, Alnylam unveiled an initiative focused on applying its RNAi technology to the production of vaccines (GSN 11/3/2011). It also said that GlaxoSmithKline had signed on as its first partner under the effort.
This week, Alnylam said that the partnership is initially on influenza vaccine production in cell culture systems, and that GlaxoSmithKline is obligated to provide research funding and certain milestones. GlaxoSmithKline also has an option to apply the RNAi technology to two additional vaccine products.