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Horizon Pharma is a technology company.
Horizon Pharma develops and commercializes therapies addressing critical unmet needs in rare, autoimmune, and severe inflammatory diseases. The company focuses on identifying, developing, and acquiring differentiated medicines to improve patient outcomes. Its approach emphasizes specialized therapeutic areas where significant challenges persist for patients, delivering targeted solutions for complex conditions.
Established in 2005, the company initially operated as Horizon Pharma. Timothy Walbert assumed leadership as president and CEO in 2008, an inflection point that sharpened the company's focus. The driving insight for its specialized trajectory stemmed from understanding the immense difficulties faced by individuals living with rare and chronic conditions.
Patients afflicted by rare diseases and severe inflammatory conditions constitute Horizon Pharma's core customer base. The company's vision centers on transforming the lives of these individuals by providing impactful treatments and fostering improved quality of life. It maintains a commitment to expanding its portfolio, aiming to make a lasting difference in therapeutic areas characterized by limited options.
Horizon Pharma has raised $53.0M across 3 funding rounds.
Horizon Pharma has raised $53.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Horizon Pharma has raised $53.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Horizon Pharma's investors include Pequot Ventures, Louis Bock, Sutter Hill Ventures, Scale Venture Partners.
Horizon Therapeutics (formerly Horizon Pharma) is a biopharmaceutical company, not a technology company, specializing in the discovery, development, and commercialization of medicines for rare, autoimmune, and severe inflammatory diseases.[1][3] Its portfolio includes 12 key products like TEPEZZA for thyroid eye disease, KRYSTEXXA for gout, and UPLIZNA for neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder, primarily serving patients with unmet needs in rare diseases, gout, ophthalmology, and inflammation.[1][3] The company targeted critical therapeutic gaps, achieving strong growth through acquisitions before its acquisition by Amgen in October 2023, after which it operates as a subsidiary.[1][3]
(Note: A separate entity, Horizon Pharmaceuticals, Inc., is a CDMO focused on blow-fill-seal manufacturing for pharmaceuticals, but the primary Horizon Pharma reference aligns with the biopharma profile.[2])
Founded in 2005 in Illinois as Horizon Pharma, the company initially focused on developing Duexis (ibuprofen/famotidine) for pain relief.[1][3] In 2010, it merged with Nitec Pharma AG (a 2004 spin-off from Merck KGaA), forming Horizon Pharma Inc. under CEO Timothy Walbert to launch products like Lodotra and Duexis; it went public in 2011, raising $49.5 million.[3] Key expansions included acquiring Pennsaid rights in 2014, Hyperion Therapeutics for $1.1 billion in 2015 (bolstering orphan drugs), and Crealta Holdings for $510 million later that year.[3] It rebranded to Horizon Therapeutics plc in 2019 after a 2014 tax inversion to Ireland and was acquired by Amgen in 2023.[1][3]
Horizon rode the orphan drug trend, capitalizing on regulatory incentives like FDA fast-tracking for rare diseases affecting small patient populations but offering high pricing power and market exclusivity.[3] Timing was ideal post-2010s, amid rising biotech M&A and demand for biologics in autoimmune/inflammatory conditions, amplified by successful Phase III data for breakthroughs like TEPEZZA in 2020.[3] Market forces favoring it included aging populations driving inflammatory disease prevalence and investor appetite for high-margin specialties, influencing the ecosystem by validating acquisition strategies—its $28B Amgen buyout in 2023 exemplifies how biopharma innovators scale via big pharma integration.[1][3]
As an Amgen subsidiary since 2023, Horizon's pipeline will likely accelerate through Amgen's global resources, expanding TEPEZZA, UPLIZNA, and gout therapies internationally while advancing collaborations in immunology.[1] Trends like AI-driven drug discovery and personalized medicine for rares will shape it, potentially evolving its influence toward integrated rare disease platforms within Amgen's oncology/immunology powerhouse. This positions it to sustain impact on unmet needs, tying back to its origins in nimble, patient-focused innovation now supercharged at scale.[1][3]
Horizon Pharma has raised $53.0M across 3 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $8.0M Series D in March 2010.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 18, 2010 | $8.0M Series D | ||
| Jul 24, 2007 | $30.0M Other Equity II | Pequot Ventures, Louis Bock, Sutter Hill Ventures | |
| Jan 1, 2007 | $15.0M Series B | Scale Venture Partners | Pequot Ventures, Sutter Hill Ventures |