Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. (former NASDAQ: ''SEPR''), known until October 12, 2010 as Sepracor, Inc. prior to its acquisition by Sumitomo Pharma of Japan,Company press release
/ref> is a

pharmaceutical company The pharmaceutical industry discovers, develops, produces, and markets drugs or pharmaceutical drugs for use as medications to be administered to patients (or self-administered), with the aim to cure them, vaccinate them, or alleviate sympto ...

founded in 1984 by Timothy J. Barberich, Steve Matson, and Bob Bratzler. It was originally located in

Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ni ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

and then re-located to

Marlborough Marlborough may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Marlborough, Wiltshire, England ** Marlborough College, public school * Marlborough School, Woodstock in Oxfordshire, England * The Marlborough Science Academy in Hertfordshire, England Austral ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. In addition to its headquarters in

, Sunovion has locations in Mississauga, Ontario, and

Teaneck, New Jersey Teaneck () is a township in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a bedroom community in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 39,776, reflecting an increase of 516 (+1.3%) f ...

Company history

The company's initial focus was on the separation and purification of

isomers In chemistry, isomers are molecules or polyatomic ions with identical molecular formulae – that is, same number of atoms of each element – but distinct arrangements of atoms in space. Isomerism is existence or possibility of isomers. ...

and active

metabolite In biochemistry, a metabolite is an intermediate or end product of metabolism. The term is usually used for small molecules. Metabolites have various functions, including fuel, structure, signaling, stimulatory and inhibitory effects on enzymes, c ...

s. Sepracor completed its initial public offering in 1991 at a market cap of $160M, behind a strategy of presenting larger pharmaceuticals with patented, purified active ingredients for expiring products. In 1993,

Marion Merrell Dow Marion Merrell Dow and its predecessor Marion Laboratories was a U.S. pharmaceutical company based in Kansas City, Missouri from 1950 until 1996. The company specialized in bringing to market drugs that had been discovered but unmarketed by other ...

, now a part of

Sanofi Sanofi S.A. is a French multinational pharmaceutical and healthcare company headquartered in Paris, France. Originally, the corporation was established in 1973 and merged with Synthélabo in 1999 to form Sanofi-Synthélabo. In 2004, Sanofi-Syn ...

, partnered with Sepracor to develop a purified version of its antihistamine,

Seldane Terfenadine is an antihistamine formerly used for the treatment of allergic conditions. It was brought to market by Hoechst Marion Roussel (now Sanofi-Aventis) and was marketed under various brand names, including Seldane in the United States, Tr ...

, after the latter was required to carry a warning about potentially fatal cardiac arrhythmia. This purified compound would later be marketed as Allegra, but Sepracor would not profit significantly from its launch, a result of less-than favorable partnership terms. Sepracor's subsequent products were focused on the treatment of

central nervous system The central nervous system (CNS) is the part of the nervous system consisting primarily of the brain and spinal cord. The CNS is so named because the brain integrates the received information and coordinates and influences the activity of all p ...

and respiratory disorders, under the direction of Gunnar Aberg and John McCullough. The primary source of its revenue in the late 1990s - early 2000s was the approximately $600 million annually from its

Xopenex Levosalbutamol, also known as levalbuterol, is a short-acting β2 adrenergic receptor agonist used in the treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Evidence is inconclusive regarding the efficacy of levosalbutamol ver ...

franchise of drugs. The insomnia drug

Lunesta Eszopiclone, sold under the brand-name Lunesta among others such as Night Calm in Egypt, is a medication used in the treatment of insomnia. Evidence supports slight to moderate benefit up to six months. It is taken orally. Common side effects ...

(eszopiclone) was approved by the

US Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food ...

(FDA) in December 2004 and launched in April 2005. In 2006, the FDA approved Sepracor's drug

Brovana Arformoterol, sold under the brand name Brovana among others, is a medication used for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It is a long-acting β2 adrenoreceptor agonist (LABA) and it is the active (''R'',''R'')-(−) ...

to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Acquisition by Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma

Sepracor was acquired by then-Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma in 2010 for $2.6B.Company press release
/ref> Sepracor would become an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of

Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma is a pharmaceutical company based in Japan. Its headquarters are in Chuo-ku, Osaka. The original Dainippon Pharmaceuticals (Dainippon Seiyaku) was established in 1885 by Nagayo Sensai, a graduate of Tekijuku – the first private medical school ...

and renamed to Sunovion.

Sunovion's History

In 2008, Bial agreed with then-Sepracor to produce and market its antiepileptic

Aptiom Eslicarbazepine acetate (ESL), sold under the brand names Aptiom and Zebinix among others, is an anticonvulsant medication approved for use in Europe and the United States as monotherapy or as additional therapy for partial-onset seizures epilep ...

at Sepracor's facilities and supervised by Bial. Aptiom subsequently received FDA approval in 2013 to treat partial onset seizures. In 2010, Latuda, an atypical antipsychotic, received FDA approval for the treatment of

schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social wit ...

and in 2013, received a secondary approval for the treatment of depressive episodes associated with Bipolar I Disorder.

Products Under Development

* Ulotaront (SEP-856) – phase III * Aramisulpride:esamisulpride (85:15 ratio) (SEP-4199) – phase III

List of mergers and acquisitions

The following is an illustration of the company's major mergers and acquisitions and historical predecessors: *Sunovion (Previously-known as Sepracor) ** IBF Biotechnics (Acq 1991) ** New England Pharmaceuticals (Acq 1995) ** Oryx Pharmaceuticals (Acq 2008) ** Elevation Pharmaceuticals (Acq 2012) **

Cynapsus Therapeutics Cynapsus Therapeutics Inc. is a specialty pharmaceutical company developing a drug to treat the motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Formerly named Cannasat Therapeutics they changed their name to Cynapsus The ...

(Acq 2016)

References

{{reflist

External links

Sunovion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Companies formerly listed on the Nasdaq Biotechnology companies of the United States Companies based in Middlesex County, Massachusetts Marlborough, Massachusetts Pharmaceutical companies established in 1984