In the Pipeline:
ALN-RSV

Cubist and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. have formed a strategic collaboration to develop and commercialize Alnylam's respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) program. The collaboration with Alnylam, as recently amended, is structured as a 50/50 co-development and profit sharing arrangement in North America, and a milestone- and royalty-bearing license arrangement in the rest of the world outside of Asia. Cubist and Alnylam are evaluating several potent and specific second-generation RNAi-based RSV inhibitors in pre-clinical studies for potential development as therapy for the treatment of RSV infection in children. The RSV program also includes ALN-RSV01, for which Cubist has opt-in rights after Alnylam completes a Phase 2b study of ALN-RSV01 for the treatment of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection in adult lung transplant patients.

What is RSV?

RSV is a highly contagious virus that causes infections in both the upper and lower respiratory tract. RSV infects nearly every child at least once by the age of two years and is a major cause of hospitalization due to respiratory infection in children and people with compromised immune systems, and others. RSV infection typically results in cold-like symptoms but can lead to more serious respiratory illnesses such as croup, pneumonia, bronchiolitis, and in extreme cases, death. RSV infection in the pediatric and adult populations account for more than 300,000 hospitalizations per year in the U.S. In addition, RSV infection in infants has been linked to the development of childhood asthma. As a result, there is a significant need for novel therapeutics to treat patients who become infected with RSV.