Alexion Pharmaceuticals
American healthcare company
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a subsidiary of AstraZeneca, is a pharmaceutical company headquartered in New Haven, Connecticut, specializing in orphan drugs for rare diseases.
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.jpg) Offices in New Haven, Connecticut | |
| Type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Nasdaq: ALXN | |
| Industry | Pharmaceutical industry |
| Founded | 1992 |
| Founder | Leonard Bell |
| Headquarters | Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Key people | Leonard Bell (chairman) Ludwig N. Hantson (CEO) |
| Products | Eculizumab (Soliris) Ravulizumab (Ultomiris) Asfotase alfa (Strensiq) Sebelipase alfa (Kanuma) Andexanet alfa (Andexxa) |
| Revenue |  US$6.069 billion (2020) |
 US$603 million (2020) | |
| Total assets | US$18.103 billion (2020) |
| Total equity | US$11.651 billion (2020) |
Number of employees | 2,525 (2020) |
| Parent | AstraZeneca |
| Website | www |
| Footnotes [1] | |
Its products include eculizumab (Soliris) and ravulizumab (Ultomiris), both used to treat the rare disorders of atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) and paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH); asfotase alfa (Strensiq), used to treat hypophosphatasia; sebelipase alfa (Kanuma), used to treat lysosomal acid lipase deficiency, and andexanet alfa (Andexxa), used to stop life threatening or uncontrollable bleeding in people who are taking rivaroxaban or apixaban.[1]
With costs that can reach as much as $2 million per year, the drugs manufactured by Alexion are some of the most expensive drugs worldwide.[2]
History
Alexion Pharmaceuticals was founded in 1992 at Science Park in New Haven, Connecticut by Steven Squinto and Leonard Bell, a physician at Yale New Haven Hospital and assistant professor of medicine and pathology at Yale School of Medicine.[3][4]
In 2000, Alexion moved its headquarters from New Haven to Cheshire, Connecticut.[5][6]
Alexion received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for Soliris in 2007. It was initially approved to treat paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, a rare blood disorder.[7]
In June 2010, there was an outbreak of hemolytic–uremic syndrome caused by shigatoxigenic and verotoxigenic Escherichia coli (EHEC) in Germany. Soliris was tested as a treatment option because of its effectiveness in treating atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome, an illness similar to that caused by the EHEC infection.[8]
In January 2014, the company paid Moderna $100 million for ten product options to develop rare disease treatments, including for Crigler–Najjar syndrome, using Moderna's mRNA therapeutics platform;[9] however, the program was scrapped in January 2017 after animal trials showed that Moderna's treatment would never be safe enough for humans.[10][11]
In April 2015, Bell was replaced as CEO by David Hallal.[12][13]
In October 2015, Alexion's second drug, Strensiq (asfotase alfa), was approved by the Food and Drug Administration. It is used to treat hypophosphatasia, a rare metabolic disorder.[14]
In 2016, the company became a member of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA).[15]
Alexion moved its headquarters back to New Haven following the completion of New Haven's Downtown Crossing project in February 2016.[16]
In December 2016, David Brennan became interim CEO. David Anderson, formerly the CFO of Honeywell, was appointed CFO, replacing Vikas Sinha.[17]
In March 2017, Alexion named Ludwig N. Hantson as its CEO.[18]
In September 2017, Alexion announced it would cut its workforce by 20% and move its headquarters to Boston, Massachusetts in mid-2018.[4][19] It also announced the closure of its manufacturing facility in Smithfield, Rhode Island.[20][21]
In July 2020, the company agreed to pay more than $21 million to settle claims that it bribed government officials in Turkey and Russia to gain approval for its drugs.[22]
In July 2021, AstraZeneca acquired the company for $39 billion.[23] It was the third-largest deal made in 2020.[24]
Acquisitions
In September 2000, Alexion acquired Proliferon, a development-stage biopharmaceutical firm, for $41 million in stock. The company was renamed Alexion Antibody Technologies.[25][26]
Alexion acquired Montreal-based Enobia Pharma, the developer of asfotase alfa, a drug used to treat the genetic disorder hypophosphatasia, in December 2011 for approximately $1.08 billion.[27]
In June 2015, Alexion acquired Synageva, a maker of rare disease treatments, in an $8.4 billion stock-and-cash deal.[12][28][13][29][30]
In April 2018, Alexion announced the acquisition of Wilson Therapeutics for $855 million.[31][32] In November of that year, the company acquired Syntimmune for $1.2 billion, expanding its rare disease offerings.[33][34]
Achillion Pharmaceuticals was acquired in January 2020 for $930 million, boosting its immune system disease pipeline,[35][36] and in July of that year, the company purchased Portola Pharmaceuticals, diversifying its hematology, neurology, and critical care commercial portfolio with Portola's Factor Xa inhibitor reversal agent.[37]
Caelum Biosciences was acquired in October 2021 for a reported $500 million.[38]
Acquisition history
The following is an illustration of the company's mergers, acquisitions, corporate spin-offs and historical predecessors:
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