Global settlement agreement reached in Tuschl patents litigation

"Today's settlement provides for a favorable resolution of this dispute for all parties and significantly optimizes the successful prosecution of both the Tuschl I and Tuschl II patent families, which together represent critical innovations for the advancement of RNAi therapeutics as breakthrough medicines," said John Maraganore, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Alnylam. "As for Alnylam, this settlement enables continued focus on our business transformation with advancement of innovative RNAi therapeutic products to patients."

The litigation was initiated in June 2009 and scheduled for trial in March 2011 in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts in Boston, Massachusetts. As part of the settlement agreement, Max Planck, Whitehead, UMass, and MIT have agreed that future prosecution of the Tuschl I and Tuschl II patent families in the United States should be coordinated and led by a single party. Max Planck will assume that role, in addition to their ongoing leadership in the continued prosecution of the Tuschl II patent family outside the United States. UMass will lead future prosecution of the Tuschl I patent family outside the United States. Further, Alnylam has granted UMass the right to sublicense the U.S. Tuschl II patent family to Merck, subject to certain Alnylam third-party obligations and other limitations, in exchange for a share of certain future sublicense income.

"We are very pleased that the settlement provides for coordinated prosecution of the Tuschl I and Tuschl II patent families in the United States that will encourage further development of RNAi therapeutics," said Whitehead Institute Director David C. Page, M.D.