賽諾菲投資7億美元支持Alnylam開發RNAi療法

    2014年1月14日賽諾菲宣布將擴大與Alnylam公司在RNAi研究領域的合作。公司將投入約7億美元收購Ainylam公司約12%的股份以支持其目前處于研發階 段的各種研究項目。這一動作同時也標志著賽諾菲在波士頓地區繼續擴大影響。公司此前以200億美元的價格收購了Genzyme公司，而Genzyme公司將與Ainylam在RNAi領域開始密切配合。

    事實上，不僅僅是賽諾菲，一些制藥*都已經開始表現出重返RNAi療法研究的跡象。例如羅氏公司剛剛簽訂了第二份關于RNAi研究的合作協議。這些跡象都暗示著今后這些醫藥研發*將可能向RNAi療法這一研究領域投入巨大精力。

詳細英文報道：

Sanofi is doubling down on its RNAi development deal with Alnylam. The pharma giant ($SNY) says it will pay a hefty premium to buy up a 12% stake in the biotech, investing $700 million and greatly expanding its rights to Alnylam's ($ALNY) lead drug along with a portfolio of current and prospective therapies.

The deal highlights Big Pharma's return to RNAi, a new technology for gene silencing that experienced a deep chill several years ago as Roche ($RHHBY) and others bowed out of the field. But Roche recently struck its second RNAi pact and Sanofi clearly believes that the industry is nearing some critical product-development milestones.

The expanded partnership also spotlights Sanofi's growing involvement in the Boston hub, where it paid $20 billion for Genzyme and its rare disease drugs. Now the Genzyme subsidiary will work with Alnylam on patisiran, in development for TTR-familial amyloid polyneuropathy, gaining marketing rights outside of North America and Europe. Sanofi also gains marketing rights to three other therapies in the pipeline while nabbing options on all other products that treat rare diseases.

Alnylam execs have been one of the chief proponents of RNAi as the next big product arena, with potential to rival monoclonal antibodies in terms of revenue potential. And they clearly relished the opportunity to boast about the new deal at the beginning of the big JPMorgan conference in San Francisco.

"RNAi therapeutics now have the opportunity to be the next product platform," Alnylam COO Barry Greene told Reuters.——（華雅干細胞整理報道）