Alnylam, Cubist: Drug Meets Midstage Safety Goals

NEW YORK (AP) — Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Cubist Pharmaceuticals Inc. said Monday their developing treatment for respiratory infections in lung transplant patients met key safety and tolerability goals in a midstage study.

The drug, ALN-RSV01, is based on RNAi, or gene-silencing technology. It showed no significant side effect differences when compared with placebo. The drug is specifically aimed at treating the respiratory syncytial virus which can be particularly dangerous for lung transplant patients.

The study involves 24 lung transplant patients.

The company, meanwhile, said there were imbalances in the results for the placebo group and released results showing that the drug was no more effective in several cases than placebo. Still, the study itself is not meant to assess effectiveness, the company said, as the patient sample size is too small.

The companies have been partners since January. Cubist is paying Alnylam up to $102.5 million, plus royalties and in return the companies will equally share profit in North America. Cubist will have sole worldwide rights, excluding Asia. In Asia, the program's partner is Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co.

Shares of Cambridge, Mass.-based Alnylam closed Friday at $22.64 and shares of Lexington, Mass.-based Cubist closed at $18.24.