Alnylam has the right to opt-in on development and commercialization.
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals granted Calando Pharmaceuticals an InterfeRx™ license to discover, develop, and commercialize a synthetic siRNA directed toward a specific cancer gene target.
Under this nonexclusive agreement, Alnylam gains the right of first negotiation to opt-in for codevelopment and cocommercialization in the U.S. market. Financial terms include upfront and milestone payments as well as royalties.
“Calando has demonstrated exciting progress with the only clinical-stage RNAi therapeutic oncology program currently in Phase I trials,” points out Jason Rhodes, vp, business development of Alnylam. “We are encouraged by the potential for similar success with this new target.”
Alnylam created the InterfeRx program to grant licenses under its intellectual property to companies wishing to pursue RNAi therapeutics against specific targets outside its core strategic interests. In 2006, Alnylam granted Calando an InterfeRx license to develop and commercialize an RNAi therapeutic targeting the M2 subunit of ribonucleotide reductase (RRM2) formulated with Calando’s Rondel™ (RNAi/oligonucleotide nanoparticle delivery) polymer delivery system.
