CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALNY), the leading RNAi therapeutics company, today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued Notices of Allowance for two patent applications owned by Alnylam. The USPTO has allowed claims in patent application 15/483,354, which is a member of the McSwiggen patent family acquired from Merck in 2014, covering single-stranded polynucleotides of about 18 to 20 nucleotides targeting the human transthyretin gene, and comprising 10 or more phosphorothioate linkages as well as 10 or more chemically modified pyrimidines. The second allowed patent application, 14/943,612, which is a member of the Manoharan patent family, contains claims directed to RNA agents of any length with at least one 2’-O alkyl modification and 4-20 phosphorothioate linkages conjugated to a GalNAc moiety of any valency.
“We are pleased with the expansion of our patent portfolio with these two allowances that significantly enhance our leadership in intellectual property for RNAi therapeutics,” said Barry Greene, President of Alnylam. “The McSwiggen ’354 patent complements our extensive IP portfolio on oligonucleotide-based TTR therapeutics by extending coverage to single-stranded RNA molecules. The Manoharan ’612 patent broadly covers any GalNAc conjugated, chemically modified RNA agent of any length and any valency. Together, these newly allowed patent applications provide yet another layer of protection for our and our partners’ efforts in bringing innovative medicines to patients.”
Alnylam’s intellectual property portfolio is comprised of fundamental, chemistry, delivery and target patents and patent applications that the company believes are necessary for the development and commercialization of RNAi therapeutics. In aggregate, Alnylam owns or has in-licensed over 3,400 active patent cases, with over 1,400 granted patents world-wide of which over 500 have been granted in the U.S., Europe and Japan. The allowed claims are available on the Company’s website.
About Alnylam Pharmaceuticals
Alnylam (Nasdaq: ALNY) is leading the translation of RNA interference (RNAi) into a whole new class of innovative medicines with the potential to transform the lives of patients who have limited or inadequate treatment options. Based on Nobel Prize-winning science, RNAi therapeutics represent a powerful, clinically validated approach for the treatment of a wide range of debilitating diseases. Founded in 2002, Alnylam is delivering on a bold vision to turn scientific possibility into reality, with a robust discovery platform and deep pipeline of investigational medicines, including three product candidates that are in late-stage development or will be in 2017. Looking forward, Alnylam will continue to execute on its "Alnylam 2020" strategy of building a multi-product, commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company with a sustainable pipeline of RNAi-based medicines. For more information about our people, science and pipeline, please visit www.alnylam.com and engage with us on Twitter at @Alnylam.
