CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALNY), the leading RNAi therapeutics company, today announced the launch of Advocacy for Impact Grants, a global competitive grants program that aims to inspire patient advocacy groups to develop solutions to address critical unmet needs in the rare disease communities they serve. This program is designed to provide the flexibility needed for patient advocacy groups to create and implement high-impact initiatives. In its first year, the program will focus on global grant submissions from the ATTR amyloidosis, acute hepatic porphyrias and/or primary hyperoxaluria type 1 patient advocacy groups that are advancing their local, regional and international communities.
“At Alnylam we’re committed to supporting the exploration of new ideas and believe those who represent the voice of the patient can be an important catalyst for positive change,” said Jing Marantz, Senior Vice President, Medical Affairs, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals. “By providing resources for new initiatives, we can assist patient advocacy groups in bringing impactful projects to life that continue to move their patient communities forward.”
Advocacy for Impact Grants is open to patient advocacy groups around the world with a charitable status. The competitive grants program will recognize and fund new projects of up to $50,000 that have not been previously implemented by the group and aim to impact the ATTR amyloidosis, acute hepatic porphyrias and/or primary hyperoxaluria type 1 communities in at least one of the following ways:
- Increase disease awareness and access to diagnosis;
- Offer education to patients, families, caregivers, healthcare providers and/or the public; or
- Improve patient care.
Eligible patient advocacy groups must have a charitable status in their country and may only submit one proposal per year. Proposed projects may be a collaboration between two patient advocacy groups, but that is not a requirement. Patient advocacy groups may also serve multiple patient communities, but their application must be for new projects focused on the ATTR amyloidosis, acute hepatic porphyrias and/or primary hyperoxaluria type 1 communities.
Applications will be accepted online from October 29 through December 10, 2018 in any language. An independent company will translate all applications into English for the review committee. A review committee comprised of external and internal experts will evaluate each application and will determine the final grant recipient(s) based on the clear identification of an unmet need, plan of execution, level of impact within the target community, and measures of success.
All applications must be submitted through the online process and include the required supporting materials. For additional information on the Advocacy for Impact Grants program and instructions on how to apply, groups can refer to the website.
Recipients of Alnylam’s Advocacy for Impact Grants will be announced in early 2019.
About Alnylam Pharmaceuticals
Alnylam (Nasdaq: ALNY) is leading the translation of RNA interference (RNAi) into a new class of innovative medicines with the potential to improve the lives of people afflicted with rare genetic, cardio-metabolic, hepatic infectious, and central nervous system (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. ONPATTRO™ (patisiran) lipid complex injection, 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.
