SUMMARY
In one of the most significant patent cases of 2018/19, we fielded a 15-strong multidisciplinary team of specialist IP solicitors and patent attorneys to secure a global settlement for Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Alnylam), paving the way for the launch of breakthrough nerve damage treatment drug, ONPATTRO®, the first drug in the world to incorporate Nobel Prize winning RNA interference technology.
In this worldwide litigation with Silence Therapeutics PLC (Silence), our team was fundamental to developing strategy and highly technical arguments for Alnylam, to best position them in the litigation. Further, the team managed the case for Alnylam globally, providing instructions to local counsel in more than a dozen countries.
Subsequently, Alnylam, the world’s leading RNAi therapeutics company, received a global licence to all relevant patents.
VALUE DELIVERED
This highly favourable outcome allowed the company to focus on establishing ONPATTROTM in key markets (in 2019 it gained approval for use by the UK NHS), free from the distraction of costly litigation across multiple jurisdictions.
We couldn’t be more pleased with the result. RNAi technology is highly complex and was at the heart of this matter. The Potter Clarkson team worked well together combining technical expertise with sophisticated litigation strategy to achieve this result." Dr Steven Bossone, Vice-President, Intellectual Property at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
