Horizon Pharma PLC (NASDAQ: HZNP) is a biopharmaceutical
company focused on improving the lives of patients by identifying, developing,
acquiring and commercializing differentiated and accessible medicines that
address unmet medical needs. The company’s portfolio includes four
commercialized medications for the treatment of arthritis pain and inflammation
– including DUEXIS®, PENNSAID®, RAYOS® and VIMOVO® – as well as three
additional products targeting rare diseases – including ACTUMMUNE® for the
treatment of chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) and severe, malignant
osteopetrosis (SMO), as well as BUPHENYL® and RAVICTI® for the treatment of
urea cycle disorders (UCDs).
Through these products, Horizon is addressing a collection
of promising indications within the biopharmaceutical industry. According to
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in five adults in the
United States, more than 50 million people, report having doctor-diagnosed
arthritis, and this figure is expected to expand to include an estimated 67
million American adults by 2030. As the nation’s number one cause of
disability, arthritis accounts for more than $156 billion in lost wages and
medical expenses annually, including nearly a million hospitalizations.
In a recent news release, Horizon highlighted the market
potential of its four arthritis medications when it announced that 2015 net
sales for the products exceeded $500 million. This performance was a result of
Horizon’s total prescription growth, which has increased by 189 percent since
January 2014. The company’s four arthritis pain and inflammation products
accounted for 1.5 million total prescriptions, but management is optimistic
about the prospects for significant future growth. The U.S. NSAID market, in
which DUEXIS, VIMOVO and PENNSAID participate, accounts for roughly 117 million
prescriptions each year.
“Since our company’s inception, we have built a strong and
diverse portfolio of medicines through best-in-class commercial execution and
value-enhancing acquisitions that we expect will drive nearly $1 billion in net
sales in 2016,” Timothy P. Walbert, chairman, president and chief executive
officer of Horizon, stated in a news release. “As we look to the future, we
believe our long-range plan has the potential to double net sales by 2020, led
by our rapidly expanding orphan business.”
By 2020, Horizon expects its orphan business unit to
represent approximately 60 percent of total company net sales. In support of
this goal, Horizon is currently studying ACTIMMUNE in a phase III clinical
trial for Friedreich’s ataxia, an inherited disease that causes progressive
damage to the nervous system. The company is also preparing to initiate a phase
I dosing trial in combination with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors for the treatment of various
forms of cancer. Based on third quarter 2015 net sales, Horizon forecasts $265
million in annualized U.S. sales for ACTIMMUNE and RAVICTI in 2015.
“We expect to accelerate clinical development of ACTIMMUNE,
with a specific focus on Friedreich’s ataxia and cancer,” concluded Walbert.
For prospective shareholders, Horizon’s ongoing progress
toward expanding its sales in both its arthritis pain and inflammation products
and its orphan disease treatments could foreshadow an opportunity for the
company to achieve considerable financial growth in the months to come. Look
for Horizon to close in on its 2020 growth goals as it progresses with the
clinical development of ACTIMMUNE moving forward.
For more information, visit www.horizonpharma.com
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