Monday, January 28, 2008

Alnylam Announces Grant of New Patent Covering RNAi Therapeutics in the United Kingdom

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALNY), a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today that the United Kingdom Patent Office has granted a patent (UK 2417727 or "'727 patent") for the Woppman et al. patent series, entitled "Double-stranded ribonucleic acid with increased effectiveness in an organism." The newly granted patent includes 32 claims broadly covering compositions and methods, including pharmaceutical compositions, for small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), the molecules that mediate RNAi. The claims cover siRNA molecules of any length that contain "overhang" and "blunt end" design features, including siRNAs containing chemical modifications and certain novel motifs.

"Our intellectual property estate for RNAi therapeutics continues to grow substantially as evidenced by this new patent grant, the first in a distinct patent series that describes important design features for RNAi therapeutics. With this progress, we are extending the scope of our comprehensive 'first-mover' consolidation of early filed RNAi fundamental patents and patent applications," said Barry Greene, President and Chief Operating Officer of Alnylam. "We expect that many additional patents owned or licensed exclusively to Alnylam will be awarded this year and in the years to come, broadening the sphere of our patent portfolio for siRNAs in markets across the world."

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