Alnylam to add RNAi patents to pool
The British drug maker GlaxoSmithKline and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc. said Alnylam will contribute more than 1,500 issued or pending patents on its RNA interference technology to the patent pool established by GlaxoSmithKline earlier this year.
Headquartered in Cambridge, Alnylam is seeking to use RNAi technology to do such things as silence genes whose inappropriate activity is causing diseases.
“The patent pool was formed to aid in the discovery and development of new medicines for the treatment of 16 neglected tropical diseases,’’ the two companies said in a press release. “The patent pool will facilitate access to compounds and technologies for organizations that want to conduct research on treatments for these neglected diseases.’’
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