With Rosetta Genomics prepping for an initial public offering during this year or next, it is set to join a handful of other companies in the RNAi drugs game that are traded on public markets. To date Alnylam Pharmaceuticals is the only firm to have floated its shares as an RNAi company; all the others were already public when they reorganized to focus on the gene-silencing technology.
Below is a breakdown of the public companies in the space.
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Publicly Traded RNAi Drug Firms
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Company
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Ticker Symbol
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Date Founded
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Date of IPO/Date Began Trading as RNAi Firm
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Stock Price at IPO/Stock Price after Becoming RNAi Firm
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Current Stock Price (as of Jan. 26)
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| Alnylam Pharmaceuticals | ALNY | July 2002 | May 2004 |
$6.00
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$13.80
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| Benitec | BLT.AX | February 1997 as Queensland Opal, an opal mining concern. Reorganized into RNAi firm in July 2002. | Shares began trading on Australian Stock Exchange under Benitec name in July 2002. |
Aus$0.35
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Aus$0.18
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| CytRx | CYTR | February 1985. Began researching RNAi in April 2003 after corporate reorganization. | Began trading as RNAi company in April 2003. |
$1.49
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$1.19
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| Genesis Research and Development | GEN.AX | September 2000. Shifted focus onto RNAi therapeutics around December 2003. | Began trading on Australian Stock Exchange with new RNAi focus around December 2003. |
Aus$1.00
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Aus$0.25
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| Sirna Therapeutics | RNAI | January 1992. Changed name to Sirna Therapeutics from Ribozyme Pharmaceuticals, and shifted focus onto RNAi in April 2003. | Began trading as Sirna Therapeutics in April 2003. |
$4.22
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$4.13
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| SR Pharma | SPA.L | November 1994. Began researching RNAi therapeutics after July 2005 acquisition of Atugen. | Began trading on the London Stock Exchange with an RNAi focus in July 2005. |
29.5p
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20.5p
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