Isis Pharma to Receive $1.4M from Alnylan

Isis Pharmaceuticals ISIS announced today that it will receive $1.4 million from Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ALNY as its portion of the upfront fees in Alnylam's recently announced collaboration in the field of agriculture. In addition, Isis has the potential to receive royalty payments and a portion of future milestone payments. This transaction further emphasizes the value of Isis' innovation and the leadership role Isis has played in the field of RNA-based technology. Isis is the leading company in RNA-based technology and owns or controls more than 1,500 issued patents. As such, Isis holds patents for numerous applications of antisense technology, including RNAi, and for novel targets, such as microRNAs being developed by Regulus, which is co-owned by Isis and Alnylam. In 2004, Isis and Alnylam entered into a strategic relationship in which Alnylam obtained an exclusive license to Isis' intellectual property for double-stranded oligonucleotide therapeutics that mediate RNAi. In return, Isis received an upfront payment and financial participation in future transactions supported by Isis' patents.