1. In Vivo
  2. >>Archive

Sepracor: Why Won't Companies Buy Low-Risk Research?

In an industry crying out for ways to save their genericizing drugs, Sepracor offers a solution-but only one company has taken them up on their offer. The problem has more to do with the culture of pharmaceutical R&D than with economics.

In the middle of a 1995 Sepracor Inc. board meeting, CEO Tim Barberich took a phone call from the chief marketing executive at a major drug firm. “The deal [for Sepracor's improved version of albuterol, levalbuterol] is in the bag,” Barberich says he was told. Sepracor directors began to celebrate. “It was a $100 million deal just as we were ready to go into a financing,” says Barberich. “We were practically dancing on the table.”

The celebration was short-lived. Apparently at the drug firm's next executive committee meeting, the head of R&D told the company's CEO: “We'll do this deal over my dead body. I'm...

More from Archive

Final Chance To Have Your Say: Take Our Reader Survey This Week

 
• By Eleanor Malone

Editor’s note: This is your final call to participate in the survey to better understand our subscribers’ content and delivery needs. The deadline is 20 September.

Early Development Deals: Ipsen's Strategy For Biomarker-Driven Success

 
• By Eliza Slawther

Mary Jane Hinrichs, Ipsen’s head of early development, talks to In Vivo about getting ahead of the competition by securing deals for candidates before they enter Phase I trials.   

Shape Our Content: Take The Reader Survey

 
• By Eleanor Malone

Editor’s note: We are conducting a survey to better understand our subscribers’ content and delivery needs. If there are any changes you’d like to see in the coverage topics, content format or the method in which you receive and access In Vivo, or if you love it how it is, now is the time to have your voice heard.

In Partnership with Cerba Research

Prioritizing Safety in CAR-T Therapy: Patient Monitoring with Cerba Research’s Testing Portfolio

The cell and gene therapy (CGT) clinical trial landscape in general and CAR-T cell clinical trials in particular are a special focus for the FDA, EMA, and other regulatory agencies. The whole industry is thus aware of the recent FDA safety investigation and requirements for labeling CAR therapy products.

More from In Vivo

The 360 Degrees Of European Biotech Financing In 2025

 
• By Jo Shorthouse

Almost halfway through 2025, and financing for European biotech could be described as challenging. Market volatility, geopolitical instability and trade barriers all loom large in biotech CEO minds when pitching for funding. In Vivo talked to biotechs and investors to gain a realistic view of the current market for company funding so far this year.

Rising Leaders 2025: Pedro Valencia’s ADC Vision At AbbVie

 
• By Jo Shorthouse

From chemical engineering to cancer innovation, AbbVie's rising oncology leader is advancing next-generation ADCs to tackle difficult-to-treat tumors with a patient-centered approach.

Leaders At The Frontier: Conversations From SynBioBeta 2025

 
• By David Wild

Mini-profiles of five synthetic biology companies and their leaders from SynBioBeta 2025 reveal how AI integration, data-driven platforms and interdisciplinary teams are revolutionizing drug discovery and manufacturing.