Potter Clarkson is delighted to announce that it has secured a global settlement for its client Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Alnylam), the world’s leading RNAi therapeutics company, of worldwide litigation with Silence Therapeutics PLC (Silence).
The 15-strong, specialist biotech litigation team from within the firm, led by litigator Nick McDonald and patent attorney Stephanie Pilkington, secured the settlement, having coordinated the global litigation strategy for 18 months. The settlement clears the way for Alnylam to focus on establishing the breakthrough drug, ONPATTROTM, in key global markets.
Alnylam will receive a global licence to all relevant patents from Silence, while Silence will receive low royalties on sales of ONPATTROTM - the only RNAi drug in the market - solely in the EU, ranging from 0.33% to 1%, until the end of 2023.
Commenting on the case, Nick McDonald, partner and IP solicitor, said:
This is a highly favourable outcome for our client Alnylam, who can now focus on their commercial priorities, free from the distraction of costly litigation across multiple jurisdictions.“Being able to deliver an extremely favourable global settlement in such a highly specialised area is testament to the firm’s deep expertise in life sciences and the exponential growth of our litigation practice in recent years.
“Most importantly, this settlement secures certainty of supply of life-changing drugs to patients."
Stephanie Pilkington, partner and patent attorney, added:
Our depth of resource and detailed knowledge of the technical aspects and patent background to the dispute have allowed our team to put together and execute a joined-up, robust and effective strategy for achieving Alnylam’s commercial objectives.”
Echoing these thoughts, Dr Steven Bossone, Vice President, Intellectual Property at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. said:
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 headed by Nick and Stephanie worked well together combining technical expertise with sophisticated litigation strategy to achieve this result."
The settlement further underlines the firm’s credentials as an increasingly dominant force in patent litigation.
