Alnylam wins European Patent Office appeal over Kreutzer-Limmer patent

The Board of Appeals of the European Patent Office (EPO) has ruled that claims of the Kreutzer-Limmer EP 1214945 ('945) patent, held by US RNAi therapeutics firm Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, meet needed requirements under European patent law. The '945 patent comprises broad claims covering the length and certain structural requirements for siRNAs that are important for advancement of RNAi therapeutics.

The '945 patent is one of a number of patents in the Kreutzer-Limmer estate. Other distinct patents in the family include EP 1550719, or '719, which covers siRNAs comprising 15-21 nucleotides in length stabilized by chemical linkages. In addition, patents from the Kreutzer-Limmer patent family have been granted in other countries, including Germany (DE 10080167 and DE 10066235) with claims covering siRNAs with lengths of 15-49 nucleotides. Many additional patents from the Kreutzer-Limmer patent family are pending in the USA, Japan, and other countries.

Expressing pleasure at the outcome, Barry Greene, president and chief operating officer of the company, said: 'Alnylam has leveraged its unparalleled intellectual property estate to enable the field with freedom to operate for RNAi therapeutics as evidenced by more than 25 licensing agreements yielding over $700 million in realized cash funding, and we expect this to continue in the future.'