Alexion Pharmaceutical Inc is a pharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and selling treatments for ultra-rare medical disorders. This company is traded as ALXN on Nasdaq.

Alexion Pharmaceutical Inc common stock is included in both S&P 500 and NASDAQ-100.

Alexion Pharmaceutical Inc is most famous for the drug Soliris and for their research into autoimmune diseases. When Soliris was first approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2007 (for the treatments of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria), peak annual sales were estimated at 150 million USD. In 2011, FDA approved Solaris for the treatment of atypical hemolytic-uremic syndrome as well. By September 2013, quarterly sales of Soliris topped 400 millions USD. For the first quarter of 2015, sales were at over 600 million USD.

The rare disease market can be highly profitable since it is largely ignored by mainstream pharmaceutical companies. This creates a situation where there is very little, if any, competition. Also, insurers are likely to approve even very expensive treatments since so few people suffer from these diseases.

In certain markets where medical treatments are tax funded, Alexion has allegedly worked together with public relations firms to help families put pressure on governments to approve expensive treatments.

Soliris is considered one of the most expensive drugs in the world. In the United States, one year of treatment cost over 400,000 USD in 2010. In the UK, the price was even higher; the equivalent of 500,000 USD per year in 2010.

Purchasing shares directly from the company?

Alexion Pharmaceutical Inc does not have any direct stock purchase plan available.

Dividends planned?

No dividends planned for the foreseeable future (and therefore no dividend reinvestment plan available).

What is this company selling?

Alexion Pharmaceutical Inc is best known for the drug Soliris (eculizumab), which is used to treat atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) and paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH).

Since 2015, Alexion is also the owner of Kanuma, a drug for the treatment of lysosomal acid lipase deficiency.

At the time of writing, Alexion is seeking US FDA approval for Strensiq, for the treatment of hypophosphatasia.

Background & Future

• Alexion Pharmaceuticals was founded in 1992 by Leonard Bell at Sciene Park in New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
• In 2000, Alexion Pharmaceuticals moved their headquarter from New Haven to Chesire, Connecticut. The same year, Alexion Pharmaceuticals acquired the development-stage biopharmaceutical firm Proliferon Inc and renamed it Alexion Antibody Technologies Inc.
• Since 2006, Alexion Pharmaceuticals has supported Healthcare Research and Quality studies for aspirin and clopidogrel at Duke University.
• Soliris was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2007 for the treatment of the rare blood disorder paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria.
• In 2010, Alexion Pharmaceuticals provided Solaris for free to German physicians to combat a sudden outbreak of hemolytic-uremic syndrome in Germany caused by EHEC.
• Soliris was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2011 for the treatment of atypical hemolytic-uremic syndrome.
• In 2011, Alexion Pharmaceuticals acquired Enobia Pharma Corp, a developer of a drug (asfotase alpha) used to treat hypophospharasia.
• Alexion Pharmaceuticals common stock was added to the NASDAQ-100 index in April 2014, replacing the Genzyme Corporation.
• Leonard Bell was the CEO of Alexion Pharmaceuticals until April 2015, when he was replaced by David Hallal.
• In 2015, Alexion Pharmaceuticals acquired Synageva BioPharma. Synageva BioPharma’s main drug is Kanuma, a drug approved in 2015 by the US FDA to treat lysosomal acid lipase deficiency, a genetic disorder that causes fatty material to build up in blood vessels, the liver, and other tissue.
• At the time of writing, Alexion Pharmaceuticals has several treatments (at various stages of development) in their pipeline. The range spans several therapeutic areas and includes fields such as transplant, metabolic disorders, neurology, hematology, and inflammatory disorders.One drug that they are, at the time of writing, seeking US FDA approval for, is Strensiq. If approved, it will be used to treat the rare metabolic disorder Hypophosphatasia.

Practical info

Company type	Public company
Industry	Pharmaceutical
Traded as	NASDAQ: ALXN
Founded	1992
Headquartered	Cheshire, Connecticut, USA
Website	Alxn.com

Contact information

Alexion Global Headquarters

352 Knotter Drive
Cheshire, CT 06410

Phone #: 203-272-2596
Fax #: 203-271-8198

Transfer agent

Computershare Trust Company, N.A
1745 Gardena Ave.
Glendale, CA 91204-2991

USA
Phone #: 800-736-3001