On July 1, 2023, Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. became part of Sumitomo Pharma America, Inc.,[1] a biopharmaceutical company focused on delivering therapeutic and scientific breakthroughs in areas of critical patient need spanning psychiatry and neurology, oncology, urology, women's health, rare disease, and cell and gene therapies.
Sunovion was founded as Sepracor, Inc. in 1984 by Timothy J. Barberich, Steve Matson, and Bob Bratzler. Sepracor completed its initial public offering in 1991, trading on NASDAQ under the ticker SEPR. On October 12, 2010, Sepracor, Inc. was acquired by and became a standalone subsidiary of Sumitomo Pharma of Japan (then known as Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma). In April 2023, Sumitomo Pharma announced the combination of its U.S. subsidiaries, including Sunovion, to form Sumitomo Pharma America (SMPA).[2]
History
Sepracor completed its initial public offering in 1991 at a market cap of $160M. The company's initial focus was on the separation and purification of isomers and active metabolites. The strategy was to present larger pharmaceuticals with patented, purified active ingredients for expiring products. In 1993, Marion Merrell Dow, now a part of Sanofi, partnered with Sepracor to develop a purified version of its antihistamine,