--The specific drug to be tested in AMD does not yet have a name. The lack of a name probably signifies that the companies have not yet selected the lead candidate from a family of RNAi compounds.
--Phase-1 is expected to begin in 2H05, after additional preclinical work (and presumably lead selection) is completed.
--ALNY’s drug will be given by intravitreal injection, the same method of administration as Macugen and Lucentis. It is expected that ALNY’s drug will need to be given “no more frequently" than Macugen and Lucentis, which would seem to imply a monthly dosing schedule.
--No significant financial info on the collaboration was disclosed beyond what is stated in the press release (#msg-3454885).
--ALNY has already honed its spin angle and has gone one better than Macugen in this regard. While EYET claims that Macugen acts on the “root cause” of AMD by targeting VEGF isomer 165, ALNY asserts that its drug blocks the actual production of all VEGF. (Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing remains to be seen.)
---- All told, MRK’s entry into the AMD fray with ALNY does not concern me unduly. The fact that this drug is late to the party and will have to be given by frequent intravitreal injection makes it a relatively minor threat to Squalamine, IMHO.
For GENR investors, the most significant aspect of this deal is that Merck has presumably been lost as a potential partner for Squalamine. Fortunately, there are still several big pharma who have yet to be spoken for in this disease.
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