Alnylam’s Onpattro Drug Uses Patented UTexas Tech, Suit Says (1)

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc. used patented technology developed by research scientists at the University of Texas without permission to generate more than a billion dollars in sales of its first commercial product, Onpattro, a federal lawsuit says.

The university alleges Alnylam’s drug, which treats nerve damage caused by a rare genetic disease that’s fatal if untreated, works by delivering small-interfering RNA into the patient’s cells using a composition covered by the university’s US Patent No. 8,895,717, according to a complaint filed Thursday in the US District Court for the Western District of Texas.

• The patent, developed by a team of ...