Roche harnesses Alnylam's RNAi tech in $1B deal

Demonstrating once again the powerful pull of RNAi, Roche has agreed to pay $331 million up front--including an equity payment--and up to a billion dollars overall for the nonexclusive licensing rights to Alnylam's gene silencing technology. Roche winds up with a 5 percent stake in the company. It's a huge deal for Alnylam, which recorded about $27 million in revenue last year. Alnylam's stock soared 61.6 percent on the news. The package includes a $15 million payout to acquire Alnylam's German research center, which employs some 40 people.

"This technology has the potential of fundamentally treating disease in a new way," said Alnylam CEO John Maraganore. "That type of option, given the level and significance of human disease that is unsatisfactory today, that level of impact is profound."

- see the release [1] on the deal
- here's the AP report [2]
- and check out the Wall Street Journal's report [3] (WSJ sub. req.)

Related Articles:
Calando inks RNAi pact with Alnylam. Report [4]
Alnylam wins $23M biodefense contract. Report [5]
Merck, Alnylam recalibrate development pact. Report [6]
Collaboration gives Novartis gains 20% stake in Alnylam. Report [7]
Sirna pushing RNAi field. Report [8]