Profile

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of RNA interference therapeutics for genetically defined diseases. The company was founded in 2002 and is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 2016, Forbes included the company on its "100 Most Innovative Growth Companies" list. In 2002, Alnylam was founded by scientists Phillip Sharp, Paul Schimmel, David Bartel, Thomas Tuschl, and Phillip Zamore, and by investors Christoph Westphal and John Kennedy Clarke; John Maraganore was the founding CEO. The company was named after Alnilam, a star in Orion’s belt. The spelling was modified to make it unique. In 2003, the firm merged with the German pharmaceutical company, Ribopharma AG. The newly formed company also received $24.6 million in funding from private-equity firms. On February 27, 2004, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals filed for an IPO. The company raised $26 million and began trading as ALNY on the Nasdaq stock exchange.