On July 8, 2007 Swiss healthcare company Roche and the US firm of Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. agreed on an alliance in the field of RNAi therapeutics. RNAi is a natural mechanism used by the body to inhibit the expression of certain genes. Harnessing the activity of RNAi creates a direct opportunity to develop specific and potent drugs against diseases that are difficult to treat. Alnylam has granted Roche a non-exclusive licence providing access to Alnylam’s technology platform for the development of RNAi therapeutics. In addition, Roche is acquiring Alnylam’s European research site in Kulmbach in Bavaria. Roche is paying Alnylam a total of US$331 million in upfront cash payments and capital investments. Completion of the respective transactions is subject to various regulatory approvals. Roche’s takeover of Alnylam’s European research site is subject to approval by the German competition authorities.
Based in Basle in Switzerland, Roche is a world-leading, research-oriented healthcare company for pharmaceuticals and diagnostics and the biggest producer of cancer and transplantation drugs. Alnylam is specialised in biopharmaceuticals and has a leading position for the development of novel therapeutics on the basis of RNA interference (RNAi).
Gleiss Lutz advised Roche on the acquisition of Alnylam’s German site. The Gleiss Lutz team was made up of Dr. Michael Arnold (partner, corporate/M&A, lead), Dr. Gerhard Wirth (partner, corporate/M&A), Dr. Felix Born (corporate/M&A), Dr. Steffen Krieger (employment), Dr. Achim Dannecker (partner) and Dr. Alexander Werder (both tax), and Dr. Matthias Karl (partner, competition).
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