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Alnylam Pharmaceuticals and Gen Sign Distribution Agreement in Turkey for ONPATTRO® (patisiran), the First-in-Class ‘Gene-Silencing’ RNAi Therapeutic

March 25, 2020 Off By BusinessWire

ZUG, Switzerland & ANKARA, Turkey–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALNY), the leading RNAi therapeutics company, and Gen, a GMP-certified pharmaceutical company specializing in rare diseases, today announced an exclusive Distribution Agreement for ONPATTRO^®, a first-in-class RNAi therapeutic for the treatment of hATTR amyloidosis in adults with Stage 1 or Stage 2 polyneuropathy.

“Our partnership with Gen enables us to extend access to ONPATTRO to patients suffering from hereditary ATTR (hATTR) amyloidosis with polyneuropathy in Turkey where we currently don’t have a presence,” said Brendan Martin, Vice President and Acting Head of Canada, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals. “There are a significant number of patients in Turkey who urgently need new treatment options and we are delighted to partner with Gen to bring ONPATTRO to those in need.”

Abidin Gülmüs, CEO of Gen stated: “We are proud of our reputation as one of Turkey’s leading specialty pharmaceutical companies and are excited to have partnered with Alnylam. Through collaborations with leading international companies, we aim to bring innovative medicines to patients in Turkey in the fastest and most reliable way possible.”

Patients in Turkey were among those who participated in the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, global Phase 3 APOLLO study, the largest-ever study in hATTR amyloidosis patients with polyneuropathy, which led to the approval of ONPATTRO in the U.S. and EU in 2018.

About ONPATTRO^® (patisiran)

ONPATTRO is an RNAi therapeutic that was approved in the United States and Canada for the treatment of the polyneuropathy of hATTR amyloidosis in adults. ONPATTRO is also approved in the European Union, Switzerland and Brazil for the treatment of hATTR amyloidosis in adults with Stage 1 or Stage 2 polyneuropathy, and in Japan for the treatment of hATTR amyloidosis with polyneuropathy. Based on Nobel Prize-winning science, ONPATTRO is an intravenously administered RNAi therapeutic targeting transthyretin (TTR). It is designed to target and silence TTR messenger RNA, thereby blocking the production of TTR protein before it is made. ONPATTRO blocks the production of TTR in the liver, reducing its accumulation in the body’s tissues in order to halt or slow down the progression of the polyneuropathy associated with the disease. For more information about ONPATTRO, visit ONPATTRO.com.

Important Safety Information (ISI) for ONPATTRO

Infusion-Related Reactions

Infusion-related reactions (IRRs) have been observed in patients treated with patisiran. In a controlled clinical study, 19% of patisiran-treated patients experienced IRRs, compared to 9% of placebo-treated patients. The most common symptoms of IRRs with patisiran were flushing, back pain, nausea, abdominal pain, dyspnoea, and headache. Hypotension, which may include syncope, has also been reported as a symptom of IRRs.

To reduce the risk of IRRs, patients should receive premedication with a corticosteroid, paracetamol, and antihistamines (H1 and H2 blockers) at least 60 minutes prior to patisiran infusion. Monitor patients during the infusion for signs and symptoms of IRRs. If an IRR occurs, consider slowing or interrupting the infusion and instituting medical management as clinically indicated. If the infusion is interrupted, consider resuming at a slower infusion rate only if symptoms have resolved. In the case of a serious or life-threatening IRR, the infusion should be discontinued and not resumed.

Reduced Serum Vitamin A Levels and Recommended Supplementation

Patisiran treatment leads to a decrease in serum vitamin A levels. Patients receiving patisiran should take oral supplementation of approximately 2500 IU vitamin A per day to reduce the potential risk of ocular toxicity due to vitamin A deficiency. Doses higher than 2500 IU vitamin A per day should not be given to try to achieve normal serum vitamin A levels during treatment with patisiran, as serum levels do not reflect the total vitamin A in the body. Patients should be referred to an ophthalmologist if they develop ocular symptoms suggestive of vitamin A deficiency (e.g. including reduced night vision or night blindness, persistent dry eyes, eye inflammation, corneal inflammation or ulceration, corneal thickening or corneal perforation).

Adverse Reactions

The most common adverse reactions that occurred in patients treated with patisiran were peripheral oedema (30%) and infusion-related reactions (19%).

About RNAi

RNAi (RNA interference) is a natural cellular process of gene silencing that represents one of the most promising and rapidly advancing frontiers in biology and drug development today. Its discovery has been heralded as “a major scientific breakthrough that happens once every decade or so,” and was recognized with the award of the 2006 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine. By harnessing the natural biological process of RNAi occurring in our cells, a new class of medicines, known as RNAi therapeutics, is now a reality. Small interfering RNA (siRNA), the molecules that mediate RNAi and comprise Alnylam’s RNAi therapeutic platform, function upstream of today’s medicines by potently silencing messenger RNA (mRNA) – the genetic precursors – that encode for disease-causing proteins, thus preventing them from being made. This is a revolutionary approach with the potential to transform the care of patients with genetic and other diseases.

About Alnylam

Alnylam (Nasdaq: ALNY) is leading the translation of RNA interference (RNAi) into a whole new class of innovative medicines with the potential to transform the lives of people afflicted with rare genetic, cardio-metabolic, hepatic infectious, and central nervous system (CNS)/ocular diseases. Based on Nobel Prize-winning science, RNAi therapeutics represent a powerful, clinically validated approach for the treatment of a wide range of severe and debilitating diseases. Founded in 2002, Alnylam is delivering on a bold vision to turn scientific possibility into reality, with a robust RNAi therapeutics platform. Alnylam’s commercial RNAi therapeutic products are ONPATTRO^® (patisiran), approved in the U.S., EU, Canada, Japan, Brazil and Switzerland, and GIVLAARI^® (givosiran), approved in the U.S and the EU. Alnylam has a deep pipeline of investigational medicines, including five product candidates that are in late-stage development. Alnylam is executing on its “Alnylam 2020” strategy of building a multi-product, commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company with a sustainable pipeline of RNAi-based medicines to address the needs of patients who have limited or inadequate treatment options. Alnylam is headquartered in Cambridge, MA.

About Gen

Gen is the fastest growing pharmaceutical company in Turkey. Teamed up with its leading international partners and compliant with ethical and scientific principles, Gen supplies products used in treatment of rare diseases and disorders in different branches and aims to bring these products to patients in the easiest, fastest and most reliable way possible while striving to find and bring new treatments to patients with unmet medical needs. With its GMP certificated production facility based in Ankara, Gen exports its products to different countries and has offices in Ankara (HQ), İstanbul, İzmir, Trabzon, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Russia with 400+ employees. For more information please visit the Gen website.

Alnylam Forward Looking Statements

Various statements in this release concerning future expectations, plans and prospects, including, without limitation, Alnylam’s views and plans with respect to the ability to extend patient access to ONPATTRO in Turkey through the announced Distribution Agreement with Gen, and the number of patients in Turkey within the approved indication for ONPATTRO who are in need of new treatment options, Gen’s views and plans with respect to the speed and reliability with which it is able to bring innovative medicines to patients in Turkey, and Alnylam’s expectations regarding the continued execution on its “Alnylam 2020” guidance for the advancement and commercialization of RNAi therapeutics, constitute forward-looking statements for the purposes of the safe harbor provisions under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results and future plans may differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements as a result of various important risks, uncertainties and other factors, including, without limitation: Alnylam’s ability to discover and develop novel drug candidates; the pre-clinical and clinical results for its product candidates, which may not be replicated or continue to occur in other subjects or in additional studies or otherwise support further development of product candidates for a specified indication or at all; actions or advice of regulatory agencies, which may affect the design, initiation, timing, continuation and/or progress of clinical trials or result in the need for additional pre-clinical and/or clinical testing; delays, interruptions or failures in the manufacture and supply of its product candidates or its marketed products, including ONPATTRO in Turkey; obtaining, maintaining and protecting intellectual property; intellectual property matters including potential patent litigation relating to its platform, products or product candidates; obtaining regulatory approval for its product candidates, including lumasiran and product candidates developed in collaboration with others, including inclisiran, and maintaining regulatory approval and obtaining pricing, reimbursement and access for its products, including ONPATTRO and GIVLAARI; progress in continuing to establish a commercial and ex-United States infrastructure, including in Europe; successfully launching, marketing and selling its approved products globally, including ONPATTRO and GIVLAARI, and achieve net product revenues for ONPATTRO within its expected range during 2020; potential risks to Alnylam’s business, activities and prospects as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, or delays or interruptions resulting therefrom, including without limitation, any risks affecting access to ONPATTRO in Turkey, Alnylam’s ability to successfully expand the indication for ONPATTRO in the future; competition from others using technology similar to Alnylam’s and others developing products for similar uses; Alnylam’s ability to manage its growth and operating expenses within the ranges of its expected guidance and achieve a self-sustainable financial profile in the future, obtain additional funding to support its business activities, and establish and maintain strategic business alliances and new business initiatives; Alnylam’s dependence on third parties, including Regeneron, for development, manufacture and distribution of certain products, including eye and CNS products, and Ironwood, for assistance with the education about and promotion of GIVLAARI in the U.S.; the outcome of litigation; the risk of government investigations; and unexpected expenditures, as well as those risks more fully discussed in the “Risk Factors” filed with Alnylam’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and in other filings that Alnylam makes with the SEC. In addition, any forward-looking statements represent Alnylam’s views only as of today and should not be relied upon as representing its views as of any subsequent date. Alnylam explicitly disclaims any obligation, except to the extent required by law, to update any forward-looking statements.