Alnylam in RNAi therapeutics pact with Cubist for RSV infection

10 January 2009

Acute care biopharmaceutical company Cubist Pharmaceuticals and RNAi therapeutics firm Alnylam Pharmaceuticals have decided to collaborate to develop and commercialise Alnylam's ALN-RSV programme.

This RSV-specific RNAi therapeutic programme includes ALN-RSV01, which is currently in Phase II clinical development for the treatment of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection in adult lung transplant patients, as well as several other potent and specific second-generation RNAi-based RSV inhibitors in pre-clinical studies.

The collaboration is structured as a 50/50 co-development and profit share arrangement in North America, and a milestone- and royalty-bearing license arrangement in the rest of the world outside of Asia, where Alnylam and Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co are working on ALN-RSV.

Alnylam will receive an upfront payment of $20 million and, in addition, is eligible to receive development and sales milestone payments from Cubist that could total $82.5 million, for a total in upfront and potential milestone payments of $102.5 million, as well as double-digit royalties on net sales outside of North America and Asia.

After achieving certain development milestones, Alnylam could convert the North American co-development and profit share to a royalty-bearing license with development and sales milestones. Cubist will have sole rights for commercialization of the ALN-RSV program worldwide outside of Asia, subject to the cost and profit sharing in North America.

Michael W. Bonney, president and CEO of Cubist. "We expect that this collaboration will leverage the development expertise and commercial success we have achieved in the area of infectious disease. There is significant need for novel therapeutics to effectively treat patients with RSV infection, a leading cause of paediatric hospitalisation and a prevalent infection in certain adult populations."