Alnylam gets $700m Sanofi investment, buys Sirna from Merck

Sanofi's Genzyme business has invested $700m in a 12% stake in Alnylam Pharmaceuticals as part of an expansion of the alliance the two firms formed around Alnylam's lead product, patisiran, in 2012. Separately, Alnylam announced that it will acquire Sirna Therapeutics, a rival RNAi business, from Merck & Co, for $175m plus milestones.