Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corporation announced that complete study results have been published from a Phase I trial with ALN-VSP, a systemically delivered RNAi therapeutic for the treatment of advanced solid tumors with liver involvement, which utilizes Tekmira's lipid nanoparticle (LNP) technology. ALN-VSP is being developed by Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc. Tekmira has granted Alnylam a license to use Tekmira's LNP technology to advance RNAi therapeutic products, including the products ALN-VSP, ALN-TTR and ALN-PCS, and Tekmira remains eligible to
receive milestones and royalties as Alnylam's LNP enabled products are developed and commercialized.
Tekmira will receive a $5 million payment related to initiation of clinical trials for ALN-VSP in China. Alnylam has guided that it expects to report results in mid-2013 from its Phase II study with ALN-TTR02 in patients with ATTR, and anticipates initiating a Phase III pivotal trial of ALN-TTR02 in late 2013. Tekmira will receive a $5 million milestone payment upon ALN-TTR02 entering a pivotal trial and royalties on commercial sales of ALN-TTR.