Lundbeck
 | |
| Publicly traded Aktieselskab | |
| Traded as | OMX: LUN |
| Industry | Pharmaceuticals |
| Founded | 1915 |
| Headquarters | Copenhagen, Denmark |
Key people | Håkan Björklund (Chairman), Kåre Schultz (CEO - May 2015 - present) |
| Revenue | DKK 15.2 billion (2013)[1] |
| DKK 1.6 billion (2013)[1] | |
| Profit | DKK 855 million (2013)[1] |
| Total assets | DKK 23.7 billion (end 2013)[1] |
| Total equity | DKK 13.5 billion (end 2013)[1] |
Number of employees | 5,530 (average, 2013)[1] |
| Website | lundbeck.com |
H. Lundbeck A/S (commonly known simply as Lundbeck) is a Danish international pharmaceutical company engaged in the research and development, production, marketing, and sale of drugs for the treatment of disorders in the central nervous system (CNS), including depression, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, epilepsy and insomnia.[2]
Headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, Lundbeck has international production facilities in Denmark, Italy and France and affiliates or sales offices in 57 countries. Lundbeck employs around 5.500 people globally (as of 2013), and the company’s products are registered in more than 100 countries worldwide.[2]
In 2013, the company's revenue was DKK 15.2 billion (€2.04 billion).
Lundbeck is listed on the Copenhagen Stock Exchange (CSE).
Lundbeck is a full member of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) and of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA)
History
The company was founded by Hans Lundbeck in 1915, and was initially a trading company supplying a variety of goods to the Danish market, including machinery for manufacturing, aluminium foil, artificial sweeteners, and photographic equipment.
Lundbeck entered the pharmaceutical market in 1924, importing medicines and cosmetics from companies based in other European and American countries. By the late 1930s, Lundbeck had begun to produce its own medicinal products and had established its own research department. Production continued during the Second World War, although it was limited due to a lack of raw materials.
After the war, Lundbeck continued to grow and in 1957 the company introduced Truxal (chlorprothixene) for the treatment of schizophrenia, entering the market for brain disorders. In 1954, the Lundbeck Foundation was established to maintain and expand the activities of Lundbeck Group and also to provide funding for scientific research of the highest quality. From the late 1970s and up through the 1980s, Lundbeck diverted its old agency business and thus became a dedicated pharmaceutical company focusing on the production of drugs used to treat disorders and diseases of the central nervous system. In 1989, Lundbeck launched the antidepressant Celexa (citalopram), which became the cornerstone for the company’s international expansion and in 2009 Lundbeck, bought Ovation and established a commercial platform in the USA.[2]
In 2012, to focus on newer, strategic CNS-products, Lundbeck sold a portfolio of non-core products to Recordati S.p.A. (Recordati Rare Diseases).[3] In 2014 Lundbeck acquired Chelsea Therapeutics for up to $658 million.[4]
Key products
Key products are the serotonin modulator and stimulator Brintellix, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor Lexapro (escitalopram), and antidementia agent Ebixa (memantine).
Lundbeck manufactures drugs as:
| Brand name | INN | Drug class | Indication(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abilify Maintena | Aripiprazole | Atypical antipsychotic | Maintenance treatment of schizophrenia | Co-marketed with Otsuka |
| Azilect | Rasagiline | MAOB inhibitor | Parkinson's disease | In some countries co-marketed with Teva |
| Brintellix | Vortioxetine | SRI multimodal antidepressant (described as "serotonin modulator and stimulator")<ref name="urlLundbeck's "Serotonin Modulator and Stimulator" Lu AA21004: How Novel? How Good? - GLG News">"Lundbeck's "Serotonin Modulator and Stimulator" Lu AA21004: How Novel? How Good? - GLG News".</ref> | Major depressive disorder | Co-marketed in the USA with Takeda, who also has rights to Japan |
| Cipramil, Celexa, Seropram | Citalopram | SSRI | Major depressive disorder Anxiety disorders | |
| Cipralex, Lexapro | Escitalopram | SSRI | Major depressive disorder Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) | (S)-enantiomer of citalopram |
| Clopixol, Cisordinol | Zuclopenthixol | High-potency typical antipsychotic (of thioxanthene class) | Psychoses, including schizophrenia | Cis-isomer of clopenthixol (a predecessor drug) |
| Deanxit | Flupentixol/melitracen | Typical antipsychotic / Tricyclic antidepressant | Moderate-to-severe depression associated with anxiety and/or agitation | |
| Ebixa, Ebix | Memantine | NMDA receptor antagonist | Alzheimer's disease | |
| Fluanxol | Flupentixol | High-potency thioxanthene typical antipsychotic | Psychoses, including schizophrenia | |
| Modiodal | Modafinil | Eugeroic (wakefulness-promoting agent) | Narcolepsy Shift work sleep disorder Obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea | |
| Nortrilen, Sensoval | Nortriptyline | Tricyclic antidepressant | Depression Nocturnal enuresis | Active metabolite of amitriptyline |
| Onfi | Clobazam | Benzodiazepine anticonvulsant and anxiolytic | Seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome | Outside the US, approved for anxiety and treatment-resistant epilepsy (under the brand name Frisium) |
| Rexulti | Brexpiprazole | Atypical antipsychotic (the so-called “serotonin-dopamine activity modulator”) | Schizophrenia Major depressive disorder (as an adjunctive treatment) | Marketed in partnership with Otsuka |
| Sabril | Vigabatrin | Anticonvulsant (GABA transaminase inhibitor) | Treatment-resistant epilepsy (complex partial seizures and West syndrome) | Use is restricted to resistant and refractory epilepsy due to the risk of irreversible vision loss[5] |
| Saphris, Sycrest | Asenapine | Atypical antipsychotic | Psychoses, including schizophrenia Acute and maintenance treatment of Bipolar I disorder | In some countries (like Philippines, Latvia and Russian Federation) marketed by or co-marketed with Merck & Co. (Merck Sharp & Dohme) |
| Saroten, Sarotex, Redomex | Amitriptyline | Tricyclic antidepressant | Depression (both unipolar and bipolar) Anxiety disorders Eating disorders Migraine prophylaxis Insomnia, etc. | |
| Selincro | Nalmefene | Opioid receptor antagonist | Reduction of alcohol consumption in alcohol dependence (in combination with psychosocial support) | Only be used in patients with high drinking risk (at initial assessment and 2 weeks later), in those who do not have physical withdrawal symptoms or require immediate detoxification |
| Serdolect, Serlect | Sertindole | Atypical antipsychotic | Psychoses, including schizophrenia | |
| Treanda | Bendamustine | Nitrogen mustard alkylating agent | Chronic lymphocytic leukemia | Co-marketed with Teva |
| Truxal | Chlorprothixene | Thioxanthene typical antipsychotic | Psychosis, including schizophrenia | In some other countries approved for menopausal depression, insomnia and resistant nausea/vomiting |
| Xenazine, Nitoman | Tetrabenazine | VMAT2 inhibitor | Chorea associated with Huntington's disease Tic disorders Tardive dyskinesia |
Products under development
- Intravenous formulation of carbamazepine for epilepsy
- Idalopirdine (Lu AE58054 — a 5-HT6 antagonist) for Alzheimer's disease
- Brexpiprazole for schizophrenia, adjunct ADD and Alzheimer's disease
- Aripiprazole for Bipolar I disorder
- Vortioxetine for adult ADHD
Controversy
Lundbeck formerly held the only license to manufacture pentobarbital (Nembutal) in the United States.[6] The drug is commonly used for execution by lethal injection in the United States (either as part of a three drug cocktail or by itself). After coming under criticism for not adding an ‘end user’ agreement to prevent importers from selling Nembutal® to American prisons for use in executions, Lundbeck announced that it would not sell Nembutal to prisons in U.S. states that carry out executions. By introducing a new distribution system, Nembutal will be supplied exclusively through a specialty pharmacy drop ship program that will deny distribution of the product to prisons in U.S. states currently active in carrying out the death penalty by lethal injection. [7] In December 2011 Lundbeck divested a portfolio of products including Nembutal to US pharmaceutical company Akorn Inc. As part of the agreement, Akorn committed to continue with Lundbeck's restricted distribution program for Nembutal, which was implemented to restrict the use of the product in the US.
2013 fine
On June 19, 2013, the European Commission imposed a fine of €93.8 million on Lundbeck and fined several producers of generic pharmaceuticals a total of €52.2 million after Lundbeck made agreements in 2002 with the other companies to delay less expensive generics of Lundbeck's citalopram from entering the market. In return for the ability to maintain a monopoly on the drug's manufacture, Lundbeck offered payments and other kickbacks.[8]
See also
- Tarenflurbil, which the company had arranged for EU distribution rights on prior to termination of its development by Myriad.
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Annual Report 2013" (PDF). Lundbeck. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
- 1 2 3 lundbeck.com
- ↑ H. Lundbeck A/S (December 14, 2012). "Corporate Release No 487. Lundbeck to divest a portfolio of non-core products as part of its strategy to focus on newer, strategic CNS-products" (PDF). Retrieved 29 July 2014.
- ↑ http://www.genengnews.com/gen-news-highlights/h-lundbeck-acquiring-chelsea-therapeutics-for-up-to-658m/81249845/
- ↑ "Sabril® (vigabatrin) Tablets. Prescribing information." Lundbeck Inc., 2012. Revised February 2012.
- ↑ "Execution drug still available after Lundbeck shuns ‘end user’ agreements". The Copenhagen Post. 1 April 2011. Retrieved 3 July 2011.
- ↑ "Lundbeck Seeks to Curb Use of Drug in Executions". The Wall Street Journal. 1 July 2011. Retrieved 3 July 2011.
- ↑ http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-13-563_en.htm
