Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. (former

NASDAQ The Nasdaq Stock Market () (National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations Stock Market) is an American stock exchange based in New York City. It is the most active stock trading venue in the US by volume, and ranked second ...

: ''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 sympt ...

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

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York (state), New York; on the ea ...

and then re-located to Marlborough,

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 Marlborough, 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%) fr ...

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, ...

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, now a part of

Sanofi Sanofi S.A. is a French Multinational corporation, 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-Synth� ...

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

franchise of drugs. The insomnia drug Lunesta (eszopiclone) was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in December 2004 and launched in April 2005. In 2006, the FDA approved Sepracor's drug Brovana 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 Kempegowda International Airport is an international airport serving Bangalore, the capital of Karnataka, India. Spread over , it is located about north of the city near the suburb of Devanahalli. It is owned and operated by Bengaluru Inter ...

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 wi ...

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

Products Under Development

Ulotaront Ulotaront (;https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/international-nonproprietary-names-(inn)/pl124.pdf?sfvrsn=6437f035_10&download=true developmental codes SEP-363856, SEP-856) is an investigational antipsychotic that is undergoing clinica ...

(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 The International Boxing Federation (IBF) is one of four major organizations recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) which sanctions professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Counci ...

(Acq 1991) **

New England Pharmaceuticals New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

(Acq 1995) **

Oryx Pharmaceuticals ''Oryx'' is a genus consisting of four large antelope species called oryxes. Their pelage is pale with contrasting dark markings in the face and on the legs, and their long horns are almost straight. The exception is the scimitar oryx, which l ...

(Acq 2008) **

Elevation Pharmaceuticals The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § Vertic ...

(Acq 2012) ** Cynapsus Therapeutics (Acq 2016)

References

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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