CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALNY), the leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced the appointment of Dr. Margaret Hamburg to its Board of Directors effective January 10, 2019. Dr. Hamburg currently serves as Foreign Secretary, National Academy of Medicine and President-elect of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Prior to this, from May 2009 to April 2015, she was Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), where she was known for advancing regulatory science, medical product innovation and globalization of the agency. In addition, Alnylam announces today the resignation of Mr. John Clarke from the Board effective January 10, 2019. Mr. Clarke is the Managing Partner of Cardinal Partners, the co-founding venture investor of Alnylam who has served on the Board of Directors since the Company’s founding in 2002 and served as Chair of the Board from 2002 through 2015.
“We are honored to welcome Peggy to our Board at a landmark moment for Alnylam, having just recently announced the regulatory approval of the first RNAi therapeutic. Peggy’s distinguished career and highly regarded expertise in matters of science, medicine and public health will provide important perspective on our Board,” said John Maraganore, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Alnylam. “We look forward to the experience Peggy will bring as we advance our pipeline of innovative investigational therapies to patients and deliver on the promise of RNAi therapeutics as a new class of medicines.”
“I’m very pleased to be joining the Board -- Alnylam has kept a sustained focus on cutting-edge biomedical research, pioneering and leading the field of RNAi therapeutics to create a new class of medicines,” said Dr. Margaret Hamburg. “I look forward to working with Alnylam on innovative approaches to help expedite development of investigational therapies that address unmet medical needs. I am very excited about the opportunity to help Alnylam achieve its long-term goals for patients, with strong science at the core.”
Prior to her current roles and previous position as FDA Commissioner, Dr. Hamburg worked for the Nuclear Threat Initiative, first as vice president for biological programs, then as senior scientist. In 1997, President Bill Clinton named Dr. Hamburg assistant secretary for planning and evaluation, the chief policy role, in the Department of Health and Human Services. Prior to that, she was New York City’s health commissioner. Dr. Hamburg currently sits on a number of non-profit Boards, including for the GAVI Alliance, Commonwealth Fund, Council on Foreign Relations, Simons Foundation, Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Urban Institute, and the American Museum of Natural History. She is also a fellow in the American College of Physicians, and member of Harvard University Global Advisory Council, the Harvard Medical School Board of Fellows, the World Dementia Council and the Global Health Scientific Advisory Committee for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and chairs the Joint Coordinating Group for the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Initiative (CEPI). Dr. Hamburg is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Medical School.
“On behalf of the Board and the entire Alnylam team, I’d like to thank John Clarke for his sixteen years of service with Alnylam, and countless contributions to the Company’s growth and success,” said Dr. Maraganore. “In 2002, John had the bold vision that the scientific breakthrough of RNAi could lead to the development of a whole new class of medicines. With the recent approval of the first RNAi therapeutic, John has seen the beginnings of this vision being fulfilled. We wish him all the best in his continued endeavors!”
“I have been honored to be a part of this wonderful company for the last 16 years,” said John Clarke, Managing Partner of Cardinal Partners. “I am doubly honored that my retirement coincides with Dr. Hamburg joining the Board. From my perspective, Alnylam’s prospects have never been brighter.”
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. RNAi therapeutics are a
new class of medicines that harness the natural biological process of
RNAi. 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 in
developing medicines to improve 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 improve the lives of people
afflicted with rare genetic, cardio-metabolic, hepatic infectious
diseases and central nervous system, or CNS, 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 discovery platform. ONPATTROTM (patisiran), available
in the U.S. for the treatment of the polyneuropathy of hereditary
transthyretin-mediated (hATTR) amyloidosis in adults, is Alnylam’s first
U.S. FDA-approved RNAi therapeutic. In the EU, ONPATTRO is approved for
the treatment of hATTR amyloidosis in adults with stage 1 or stage 2
polyneuropathy. Alnylam has a deep pipeline of investigational
medicines, including three product candidates that are in late-stage
development. Looking forward, Alnylam will continue to execute 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 employs over 800 people worldwide
and is headquartered in Cambridge, MA. For more information about our
people, science and pipeline, please visit www.alnylam.com
and engage with us on Twitter at @Alnylam
or on LinkedIn.
Alnylam Forward Looking Statements
Various statements in
this release concerning Alnylam's future expectations, plans and
prospects, including, without limitation, Alnylam’s expectations
regarding 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 and
delivery approaches, successfully demonstrate the efficacy and safety of
its product 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, obtaining, maintaining and protecting intellectual
property, Alnylam's ability to enforce its intellectual property rights
against third parties and defend its patent portfolio against challenges
from third parties, obtaining and maintaining regulatory approval,
pricing and reimbursement for products, progress in establishing a
commercial and ex-United States infrastructure, successfully launching,
marketing and selling its approved products globally, 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, 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 for development, manufacture and distribution of products, 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 Quarterly Report on
Form 10-Q 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.
