Alnylam to Break Ground on New Manufacturing Facility in Norton, Massachusetts

– 200,000 Square Foot State-of-the-Art Manufacturing Facility Supports Expanding Development Pipeline and Transition Toward Commercial Stage –

– Facility Expected to be Operational in 2018 –

Alnylam manufacturing facility to be built in Norton, Massachusetts. (Photo: Business Wire)

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--()--Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALNY), the leading RNAi therapeutics company, today announced that it will break ground today on a state-of-the-art biopharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Norton, Massachusetts. The facility will supply RNAi therapeutics for Alnylam’s clinical and commercial needs. The location, selected in close collaboration with Commonwealth and local officials, demonstrates Alnylam’s ongoing commitment to Massachusetts. Construction on the 200,000 square foot manufacturing facility is expected to complete in 2018 and it will initially employ approximately 150 new full-time employees.

“This flagship multi-product facility represents a key next step in Alnylam’s transition toward a commercial stage company. Increased manufacturing capability is vital to support our rapidly growing pipeline of ten clinical stage programs, two of which are in Phase 3 trials,” said John Maraganore, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Alnylam. “The Massachusetts talent pool, along with strong support from state and local partners in the Baker Administration, Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, and the Town of Norton were critical to our ultimate decision to establish this manufacturing facility in Norton, MA.”

Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony are Charlie Baker, the Governor of Massachusetts, Kimberly Haugstad, Executive Director of the Hemophilia Federation of America, Travis McCready, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center and Lisa Nelson, Senior District Representative to U.S. Congressman Joseph Kennedy III.

“Alnylam’s decision to locate their biopharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Massachusetts speaks to our Commonwealth’s success in supporting an innovative economic environment and talented workforce,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “We are excited about Alnylam’s choice and congratulate them as they continue to grow and advance investigational new medicines in the Commonwealth’s life sciences sector, creating new jobs and patient treatments.”

"The development of Alnylam’s manufacturing facility in Norton is further evidence that the State of Massachusetts can support the needs of integrated biotechnology companies such as Alnylam, through the entire biopharmaceutical life cycle, from discovery to development to manufacturing to sales and marketing,” said Travis McCready, President and Chief Executive Officer, Massachusetts Life Sciences Center.

“The Hemophilia Federation of America is dedicated to serving the needs of patients and families affected by hemophilia and other rare bleeding disorders,” said Kimberly Haugstad, Executive Director of the Hemophilia Federation of America. “With the development of this manufacturing facility, Alnylam demonstrates its commitment and responsibility to the patient community as it strives to provide innovative new treatment options.”

About RNAi
RNAi (RNA interference) is a revolution in biology, representing a breakthrough in understanding how genes are turned on and off in cells, and a completely new approach to drug discovery and development. Its discovery has been heralded as "a major scientific breakthrough that happens once every decade or so," and represents one of the most promising and rapidly advancing frontiers in biology and drug discovery today which was awarded the 2006 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine. RNAi is a natural process of gene silencing that occurs in organisms ranging from plants to mammals. By harnessing the natural biological process of RNAi occurring in our cells, the creation of a major new class of medicines, known as RNAi therapeutics, is on the horizon. Small interfering RNA (siRNA), the molecules that mediate RNAi and comprise Alnylam's RNAi therapeutic platform, target the cause of diseases by potently silencing specific mRNAs, thereby preventing disease-causing proteins from being made. RNAi therapeutics have the potential to treat disease and help patients in a fundamentally new way.

About Alnylam Pharmaceuticals
Alnylam is a biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics based on RNA interference, or RNAi. The company is leading the translation of RNAi as a new class of innovative medicines. Alnylam's pipeline of investigational RNAi therapeutics is focused in 3 Strategic Therapeutic Areas (STArs): Genetic Medicines, with a broad pipeline of RNAi therapeutics for the treatment of rare diseases; Cardio-Metabolic Disease, with a pipeline of RNAi therapeutics toward genetically validated, liver-expressed disease targets for unmet needs in cardiovascular and metabolic diseases; and Hepatic Infectious Disease, with a pipeline of RNAi therapeutics that address the major global health challenges of hepatic infectious diseases. In early 2015, Alnylam launched its "Alnylam 2020" guidance for the advancement and commercialization of RNAi therapeutics as a whole new class of innovative medicines. Specifically, by the end of 2020, Alnylam expects to achieve a company profile with 3 marketed products, 10 RNAi therapeutic clinical programs - including 4 in late stages of development - across its 3 STArs. The company's demonstrated commitment to RNAi therapeutics has enabled it to form major alliances with leading companies including Ionis, Novartis, Roche, Takeda, Merck, Monsanto, The Medicines Company, and Sanofi Genzyme. In addition, Alnylam holds an equity position in Regulus Therapeutics Inc., a company focused on discovery, development, and commercialization of microRNA therapeutics. Alnylam scientists and collaborators have published their research on RNAi therapeutics in over 200 peer-reviewed papers, including many in the world's top scientific journals such as Nature, Nature Medicine, Nature Biotechnology, Cell, New England Journal of Medicine, and The Lancet. Founded in 2002, Alnylam maintains headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts. For more information about Alnylam's pipeline of investigational RNAi therapeutics, please visit www.alnylam.com.

Alnylam Forward Looking Statements
Various statements in this release concerning Alnylam's future expectations, plans and prospects, including without limitation, Alnylam's views with respect to the potential for RNAi therapeutics, its expectations regarding its pipeline growth strategy, and its plans regarding commercialization of RNAi therapeutics, construction of a manufacturing facility and the hiring of employees to work in that facility constitute forward-looking statements for the purposes of the safe harbor provisions under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements as a result of various important 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 drug 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, actions of regulatory agencies, which may affect the initiation, timing and progress of clinical trials, obtaining, maintaining and protecting intellectual property, Alnylam's ability to enforce its patents against infringers and defend its patent portfolio against challenges from third parties, obtaining regulatory approval for products, competition from others using technology similar to Alnylam's and others developing products for similar uses, Alnylam's ability to manage operating expenses, Alnylam's ability to 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, marketing, sales and distribution of products, the outcome of litigation, and unexpected expenditures, as well as those risks more fully discussed in the "Risk Factors" filed with Alnylam's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K 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 to update any forward-looking statements.

Contacts

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Investors and Media
Christine Regan Lindenboom, 617-682-4340
or
Investors
Josh Brodsky, 617-551-8276

Contacts

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Investors and Media
Christine Regan Lindenboom, 617-682-4340
or
Investors
Josh Brodsky, 617-551-8276