Medicines Co., Alnylam PCSK9 heading for Phase III

In an interim analysis of the Phase II ORION-1 trial, The Medicines Co. (NASDAQ:MDCO) and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:ALNY) said short interfering RNA therapy inclisiran (ALN-PCSsc; PCSK9si) led to sustained LDL-C reductions that suggest the candidate could represent a "highly-differentiated and competitive" treatment option for hypercholesterolemia.

Investors did not seem overly perturbed by safety data from the study, as Medicines Co. gained $0.33 to $36.79 and Alnylam dipped $1.81 to $48.23. Worries about Alnylam's platform arose this fall after the company discontinued development of two other candidates based on safety concerns (see BioCentury, Oct. 10)...