Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corporation (TKMR) announced today that it has entered into a settlement agreement with Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. that resolves all litigation between the companies. Tekmira will receive $65 million within 10 days and is eligible to receive $10 million in near-term milestone payments expected to be received in 2013 as a result of the restructuring and new agreements.
Dr. Mark J. Murray, Tekmira’s President and CEO, commented:
Today’s announcement provides assurances for our stakeholders that we accomplished what we set out to do when we initiated this litigation. We now have clarity around the intellectual property that protects our lipid nanoparticle (LNP) technology and a cash payment that will enable us to continue the execution of our business plan into 2015. Tekmira is entering an exciting new era of growth and development. Clarity of rights and ownership around our LNP intellectual property – the leading technology for the systemic delivery of RNAi therapeutics – combined with a strong balance sheet should strengthen our ability to invest in, advance and expand our own product pipeline. We also look forward to establishing new business relationships with pharmaceutical partners driven by intellectual property certainty and recent promising clinical data validating the therapeutic utility of LNP-enabled products.
At glance:
- Tekmira will receive a total of $65 million in cash payments within 10 days, including $30 million associated with the termination of the manufacturing agreement and $35 million associated with the termination of the previous license agreements, as well as a modification of the milestone and royalty schedules associated with Alnylam’s ALN-VSP, ALN-PCS, and ALN-TTR02 programs.
- Tekmira is also eligible to receive an additional $10 million in near-term milestones, comprised of a $5 million payment upon ALN-TTR02 entering a pivotal trial and a $5 million payment related to initiation of clinical trials for ALN-VSP in China. Both near-term milestones are expected to occur in 2013.
- Tekmira now holds all development and commercialization rights related TKM-PLK1, which is expected to enter Phase 2 clinical trials in 2013.
- Tekmira will receive five additional non-exclusive licenses to develop and commercialize RNAi therapeutics based on Alnylam’s siRNA payload technology. Tekmira will pay Alnylam milestones and royalties for these products.
Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corporation
100 – 8900 Glenlyon Parkway
Burnaby, British Columbia
Canada V5J 5J8
Tel: 604.419.3200
Fax: 604.419.3201
Tekmira is a leader in the development of therapeutic agents based upon Nobel Prize winning breakthroughs in the field of gene silencing, known as RNA interference (RNAi). Tekmira’s lead RNAi product candidates target cancer, Ebola infection, high cholesterol and other indications.