American healthcare company
Alexion Pharmaceuticals , a subsidiary of
AstraZeneca , is a pharmaceutical company headquartered in
Boston, Massachusetts that specializes in
orphan drugs to treat
rare diseases .
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]
[16]
Alexion moved its headquarters back to New Haven following the completion of New Haven's Downtown Crossing project in February 2016.
[17]
In December 2016, David Brennan became interim CEO. David Anderson, formerly the CFO of
Honeywell , was appointed CFO, replacing Vikas Sinha.
[18]
[19]
In March 2017, Alexion named
Ludwig N. Hantson as its CEO.
[20]
In September 2017, Alexion announced it would cut its workforce by 20% and move its headquarters to
Boston, Massachusetts in mid-2018.
[4]
[21] It also announced the closure of its manufacturing facility in
Smithfield, Rhode Island .
[22]
[23]
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.
[24]
[25]
In July 2021,
AstraZeneca acquired the company.
[26]
[27]
Acquisitions
In September 2000, Alexion acquired Proliferon, a development-stage biopharmaceutical firm, for $41 million in stock. The company was renamed Alexion Antibody Technologies.
[28]
In December 2011, Alexion acquired Montreal-based Enobia Pharma, the developer of
asfotase alfa , a drug used to treat the genetic disorder
hypophosphatasia , for as much as $1.08 billion.
[29]
In June 2015, Alexion acquired
Synageva , a maker of rare disease treatments, in an $8.4 billion stock-and-cash deal.
[12]
[30]
[31]
[13]
[32]
[33]
In April 2018, Alexion announced the acquisition of
Wilson Therapeutics for $855 million.
[34]
[35]
In November 2018, the company acquired Syntimmune for $1.2 billion, expanding its rare disease offerings.
[36]
[37]
[38]
In January 2020, the company acquired Achillion Pharmaceuticals for $930 million, boosting its immune system disease pipeline.
[39]
[40]
[41]
In July 2020, Alexion acquired
Portola Pharmaceuticals , diversifying its hematology, neurology, and critical care commercial portfolio with Portola's Factor Xa inhibitor reversal agent.
[42]
[43]
Acquisition history
The following is an illustration of the company's mergers, acquisitions,
corporate spin-offs and historical predecessors:
Alexion Pharmaceuticals(Founded 1992)
Proliferon Inc(Acq 2000, restructured into Alexion Antibody Technologies Inc)
Enobia Pharma Corp(Acq 2011)
Achillion Pharmaceuticals(Acq 2019)
Alexion Pharmaceuticals
References
^
a
b
"Alexion Pharmaceuticals 2020 Form 10-K Annual Report" .
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission .
^ Thomas, Katie; Abelson, Reed (August 25, 2019).
"The $6 Million Drug Claim" .
The New York Times .
^ Herper, Matthew (September 5, 2012).
"How A $440,000 Drug Is Turning Alexion Into Biotech's New Innovation Powerhouse" .
Forbes .
^
a
b SINGER, STEPHEN (September 12, 2017).
"Alexion Exits New Haven For Boston, Agrees To Repay Millions In State Aid" .
Hartford Courant .
^
"Alexion Pharmaceuticals Moves Global Headquarters to New Haven" .
NBC News . June 19, 2012.
^ MACMILLAN, THOMAS (June 19, 2012).
"Alexion Flees Cheshire For New Haven" .
New Haven Independent .
^ Seiffert, Don (May 6, 2015).
"Everything you need to know about the $8.4B acquisition of Synageva" .
American City Business Journals .
^ Lang, Michelle (June 20, 2011).
"Alexion tests treatment to respond to Germany's E. coli outbreak" .
American City Business Journals .
^ Reidy, Chris (January 13, 2014).
"Alexion, Moderna announce agreement to develop messenger RNA therapeutics" .
The Boston Globe .
Archived from the original on November 16, 2020.
^ Garade, Damien (September 13, 2016).
"Ego, ambition, and turmoil: Inside one of biotech's most secretive startups" .
Stat .
Archived from the original on November 16, 2020.
^ Garde, Damien (January 10, 2017).
"Lavishly funded Moderna hits safety problems in bold bid to revolutionize medicine" .
Stat .
Archived from the original on November 16, 2020.
^
a
b Dulaney, Chelsey (May 6, 2015).
"Alexion to Buy Synageva for $8.4 Billion" .
The Wall Street Journal .
^
a
b Cyran, Robert (May 6, 2015).
"Alexion Puts Its Soaring Stock Price to Good Use" .
The New York Times .
^
"FDA Approves Strensiq™ (asfotase alfa) for Treatment of Patients with Perinatal-, Infantile- and Juvenile-Onset Hypophosphatasia (HPP)" (Press release).
Business Wire . October 23, 2015.
^ Helfand, Carly (July 18, 2016).
"Teva wins controversial PhRMA bid despite protests from branded rivals" .
FiercePharma .
^
"PhRMA Welcomes Five New Member Companies" (Press release).
PR Newswire . July 15, 2016.
^ Hathaway, Bill (February 29, 2016).
"Alexion homecoming is a symbol of biomedical growth in New Haven" .
Yale University .
^
"Alexion's Board of Directors Announces New Leadership Appointments" (Press release).
Business Wire . December 12, 2016.
^ Rosen, Jon (December 12, 2016).
"Alexion Pharmaceuticals announces new leadership appointments" .
WTNH .
^ Grover, Natalie (March 27, 2017).
"Alexion Pharma names former Baxalta chief Ludwig Hantson CEO" .
Reuters .
^ Hufford, Austen; Rockoff, Jonathan D.; De Avila, Joseph (September 12, 2017).
"Alexion to Cut Workforce by 20%, Shift Headquarters to Boston" .
The Wall Street Journal .
^ Bramson, Kate (September 12, 2017).
"Drug maker Alexion to close R.I. plant" .
The Providence Journal .
^ Krause, Nancy (September 12, 2017).
"Alexion closing RI manufacturing facility, 250 losing jobs" .
WPRI-TV .
^ Tokar, Dylan; Prang, Allison (July 2, 2020).
"Alexion to Pay More Than $21 Million to Settle Bribery Claims" .
The Wall Street Journal .
^
"SEC Charges Alexion Pharmaceuticals With FCPA Violations" (Press release).
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission . July 2, 2020.
^ Higgins-Dunn, Noah (July 21, 2021).
"AstraZeneca closes mega $39B Alexion buyout despite antitrust fears, making a splash in rare diseases" .
FiercePharma .
^
"Acquisition of Alexion completed" (Press release).
AstraZeneca . July 21, 2021.
^
"BRIEFLY" .
Hartford Courant . September 27, 2000.
^ Finn, Ryan (December 29, 2011).
"Alexion to Pay as Much as $1.08 Billion to Buy Enobia Pharma" .
Bloomberg News .
^
"Alexion Completes Acquisition of Synageva" (Press release).
Business Wire . June 23, 2015.
^ Weisman, Robert (July 12, 2015).
"How Genzyme became a source of biotech executives" .
The Boston Globe .
^ Seiffert, Don (June 23, 2015).
"Alexion buys Lexington rare drug maker Synageva for $8.4B" .
American City Business Journals .
^
"Large Pharma Acquisition -- Alexion Buys Synageva for $8.4 Billion" .
IndustryWeek .
Agence France-Presse . May 6, 2015.
^ Hirschler, Ben (April 11, 2018).
"Biotech M&A rolls on as Alexion snaps up Wilson for $855 million" .
Reuters .
^ Arnott, Karen (April 11, 2018).
"Alexion to Acquire Wilson Therapeutics for $855M" .
Mary Ann Liebert .
^
"Alexion Completes Acquisition of Syntimmune" (Press release).
Business Wire . November 2, 2018.
^
"Alexion to Acquire Syntimmune for Up to $1.2B, Expanding Rare Disease Pipeline" .
Mary Ann Liebert . September 26, 2018.
^ Joseph, Saumya Sibi; Maddipatla, Manogna (September 26, 2018).
"Alexion to buy biotech firm Syntimmune for up to $1.2 billion" .
Reuters .
^
"Alexion Completes Acquisition of Achillion" (Press release).
Business Wire . January 28, 2020.
^ George, John (January 29, 2020).
"$930 million sale of Blue Bell biopharma firm finalized" .
American City Business Journals .
^ Taylor, Nick Paul (October 16, 2019).
"Alexion inks deal to acquire Achillion for $930M upfront" .
FierceBiotech .
^
"Alexion Completes Acquisition of Portola" (Press release).
Business Wire . July 2, 2020.
^ DeAngelis, Allison (May 5, 2020).
"Alexion pays $1.4B for Bay Area biotech in bid to double commercial portfolio" .
American City Business Journals .
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