Javelin Pharmaceuticals

Javelin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. was a specialty pharmaceutical company established in 1998 by Fred Mermelstein to address unmet needs in the pain management market. Initially known as Intrac, the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based firm focused on applying proprietary technologies to develop novel drugs and enhance existing ones. The company's primary market was hospital-based pain management, targeting conditions such as post-operative, cancer, post-trauma, and procedural pain.

The company's lead product candidate was Dyloject, an injectable formulation of diclofenac sodium, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). This product was developed as a non-opioid alternative for managing moderate-to-severe post-operative pain, a significant area of need given the adverse side effects associated with traditional opioids. Dyloject received marketing approval in the United Kingdom and was submitted for approval to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Javelin's pipeline also included other pain treatments in advanced clinical development, such as Ereska (intranasal ketamine) and Rylomine (intranasal morphine).

After a series of funding rounds, including a PIPE deal in 2005 and going public, Javelin's trajectory culminated in an acquisition. In 2010, after a bidding process that also involved Myriad Pharmaceuticals, Javelin entered into a definitive merger agreement with Hospira, Inc., a global specialty pharmaceutical company. Hospira acquired Javelin for approximately $145 million, viewing Dyloject as a strategic fit with its own portfolio, particularly its sedation agent Precedex, as both were marketed to anesthesiologists. The acquisition was completed in mid-2010, and Javelin became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hospira, which itself was later acquired by Pfizer. Keywords: pain management, injectable NSAID, post-operative pain, diclofenac sodium, Dyloject, Hospira acquisition, pharmaceutical development, specialty pharma, non-opioid analgesic, Ereska, Rylomine, acute pain, cancer pain, Fred Mermelstein, Martin Driscoll, drug formulation, clinical trials, biopharmaceutical, hospital therapeutics, pain relief medication