Pharma firms in RNAi deals

Alnylam and Merck have consolidated their two existing RNA interference pacts into one collaboration that will focus on nine therapeutic targets to be selected by Merck. Under the revised agreement, Merck will participate at an earlier stage in the R&D of those RNAi therapeutics. Alnylam can choose three of the nine programs for Merck to cofund and will have the right to copromote those drugs in the U.S. Among the candidates explored in the earlier pact, the companies will continue to advance a spinal cord injury therapy, but they will not jointly develop a product for age-related macular degeneration. Separately, Abbott Laboratories is collaborating with Fisher Biosciences' Dharmacon unit to develop therapeutics based on short interfering RNA initially for oncology.