Actelion
Encyclopedia
Actelion was founded in December 1997 and is headquartered in Allschwil near Basel (Switzerland). Its CEO
and co-founder is cardiologist Jean-Paul Clozel. Actelion scientists were among the first to work in the field of endothelian receptor antagonists. The company name might be a reminder for its first product, an endothelian receptor antagonist and the verb "action", "act upon".
Actelion is specialized in orphan diseases. Often, R&D investments in such diseases are low because companies see no ROI. Obviously, this is a serious problem for patients affected by a rare disease. Orphan diseaes often affect very vulnerable patient groups such as children; Actelion keeps investing in such areas:
More information on rare diseases: see this year's (2011) worldwide "Rare Disease Day":
Actelion has 29 operative affiliates around the world, including the United States, Canada, Brazil, Australia, Japan, Switzerland and a number of EU countries.
The Swiss affiliate is located in Baden, the German affiliate in Freiburg
, the Austrian one in Vienna
, the French one in Paris
and the UK affiliate is located in London
Actelion's pipeline includes compounds for PAH, ALS (aka Lou Gehrig's disease), multiple sclerosis, asthma, psoriasis, allergic rhinitis and cystic fibrosis. Quite some new scientific data on these molecules is expected to be published in 2011 and 2012.
Actelion's shares have been listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (ticker symbol ATLN) since 2000 SWX Swiss Exchange Swiss Leader Index. In September 2008, Actelion shares began trading as part of the blue-chip SMI Swiss Market Index
.
At Actelion's AGM on May 5, 2011, shareholders dismissed all of Elliot's motions, see Reuters'article for details:
In June 2011, Actelion announced a reorganisation of its senior management (c.f. story from Thomson Reuters):
The "performance report for Swiss pharma websites" awarded Actelion the first Prize in the second consecutive year:. While Actelion gets some criticism re. its use of social webtools, the company is now also active on
Twitter: www.twitter.com/actelion_com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/actelion
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/DiscoverActelion
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
and co-founder is cardiologist Jean-Paul Clozel. Actelion scientists were among the first to work in the field of endothelian receptor antagonists. The company name might be a reminder for its first product, an endothelian receptor antagonist and the verb "action", "act upon".
Actelion is specialized in orphan diseases. Often, R&D investments in such diseases are low because companies see no ROI. Obviously, this is a serious problem for patients affected by a rare disease. Orphan diseaes often affect very vulnerable patient groups such as children; Actelion keeps investing in such areas:
More information on rare diseases: see this year's (2011) worldwide "Rare Disease Day":
Actelion has 29 operative affiliates around the world, including the United States, Canada, Brazil, Australia, Japan, Switzerland and a number of EU countries.
The Swiss affiliate is located in Baden, the German affiliate in Freiburg
Freiburg
Freiburg im Breisgau is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. In the extreme south-west of the country, it straddles the Dreisam river, at the foot of the Schlossberg. Historically, the city has acted as the hub of the Breisgau region on the western edge of the Black Forest in the Upper Rhine Plain...
, the Austrian one in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, the French one in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and the UK affiliate is located in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
Medicines
Actelion currently has 10 compounds in its pipeline - including 3 in late-stage development - and 4 medicines on the market for orphan diseases:- Tracleer (BosentanBosentanBosentan is a dual endothelin receptor antagonist used in the treatment of pulmonary artery hypertension . It is licensed in the United States, the European Union and other countries by Actelion Pharmaceuticals for the management of PAH under the trade name Tracleer.-Mechanism of action:Bosentan is...
): Tracleer was the first oral treatment approved for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a rare, chronic, life-threatening disorder that severely compromises the functions of the lungs and heart. It is a dual endothelin receptor antagonist, see also: Endothelin receptor antagonistEndothelin receptor antagonistA endothelin receptor antagonist is a drug that blocks endothelin receptors.Three main kinds of ERAs exist:* selective ETA receptor antagonists , which affect endothelin A receptors....
. - Zavesca (MiglustatMiglustatMiglustat is a drug developed by and is used primarily to treat Type 1 Gaucher disease . It is marketed under the trade name Zavesca. Miglustat is an imino sugar , a synthetic analogue of D-glucose and a white to off-white crystalline solid that has a bitter taste...
): is currently the only approved oral reatment for patients with mild to moderate [type 1 Gaucher Disease] for whom enzyme replacement therapy is unsuitable. Type 1 Gaucher disease is a rare and debilitating metabolic disorder. - Ventavis (IloprostIloprostIloprost is a drug used to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension , scleroderma, Raynaud's phenomenon and ischemia. It was developed by the pharmaceutical company Schering AG and is marketed by Bayer Schering Pharma AG in Europe and Actelion Pharmaceuticals in the USA.-Clinical pharmacology:Iloprost...
): Ventavis is indicated for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (WHO Group 1) in patients with NYHA Class III or IV symptoms. - Veletri (Epoprostenol for Injection): is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the long-term intravenous treatment of primary pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary hypertensionPulmonary hypertensionIn medicine, pulmonary hypertension is an increase in blood pressure in the pulmonary artery, pulmonary vein, or pulmonary capillaries, together known as the lung vasculature, leading to shortness of breath, dizziness, fainting, and other symptoms, all of which are exacerbated by exertion...
associated with the scleroderma spectrum of disease in NYHA Class III and Class IV patients who do not respond adequately to conventional therapy.
Actelion's pipeline includes compounds for PAH, ALS (aka Lou Gehrig's disease), multiple sclerosis, asthma, psoriasis, allergic rhinitis and cystic fibrosis. Quite some new scientific data on these molecules is expected to be published in 2011 and 2012.
Key figures
By January 2011, Actelion had a total of 2,467 employees, 392 in research, 640 in development and 1017 in sales and marketing. In 2010, Actelion's sales amounted to 1,929 million CHF.Actelion's shares have been listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (ticker symbol ATLN) since 2000 SWX Swiss Exchange Swiss Leader Index. In September 2008, Actelion shares began trading as part of the blue-chip SMI Swiss Market Index
Swiss Market Index
The Swiss Market Index is Switzerland's blue-chip stock market index, which makes it the most important in the country. It is made up of twenty of the largest and most liquid SPI large- and mid-cap stocks...
.
Current News
While Elliot Advisors, a US hedge fund, is currently criticising Actelion's Board, CNBC published a list of top executives in Europe where Actelion ranks second. The hedge fund asked for a number of changes re. Actelion's corporate governance and criticised its Management and Board.At Actelion's AGM on May 5, 2011, shareholders dismissed all of Elliot's motions, see Reuters'article for details:
In June 2011, Actelion announced a reorganisation of its senior management (c.f. story from Thomson Reuters):
Awards
Actelion received the "Prix Hermès de l'innovation" (Hermès Award for Innovation) in April 2011: The "European Institute for Creative Strategy and Innovation", the creator of the Prix Hermès, was founded in 2003 in France. The Institute is a think-tank which supports innovation strategies by its research and know-how in Europe and all over the world. It is developing a global approach to research in the context of a European culture which goes back to the humanism of Renaissance, taking into account the most advanced technologies and great international openness. Since it was founded, the EISCSI has been working with more than a hundred companies, universities and research entities.The "performance report for Swiss pharma websites" awarded Actelion the first Prize in the second consecutive year:. While Actelion gets some criticism re. its use of social webtools, the company is now also active on
Twitter: www.twitter.com/actelion_com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/actelion
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/DiscoverActelion