It's been a long road for RNA interference (RNAi): From a Nobel prize and overpriced deals more than a decade ago, to the Food and Drug Administration approval of the second RNAi drug this week.
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ALNY) got its first RNAi drug, Onpattro, approved for transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis last year. The biotech followed it up 16 months later with the approval of Givlaari for the treatment of acute hepatic porphyria, which results in neurological attacks.
As a testament to the unmet need -- and perhaps the FDA's comfort with a second approval in the drug class -- the agency approved Givlaari more than two months ahead of the target decision date of Feb. 4, 2020.