OPKO Health

OPKO Health, Inc. operates as a multinational biopharmaceutical and diagnostics company, structured to address unmet medical needs through two primary segments: Pharmaceuticals and Diagnostics. The company was founded in 1991 and is led by Chairman and CEO, Dr. Phillip Frost, a long-time healthcare investor and physician. Dr. Frost's career includes founding the generic drugmaker Ivax, which was sold to Teva Pharmaceuticals for $7.6 billion in 2005, and leading Key Pharmaceuticals until its sale in 1986. His background in dermatology and medical entrepreneurship has shaped OPKO's strategy of growth through strategic acquisitions and development.

The company's business model hinges on generating revenue from three main sources: services, products, and the transfer of intellectual property. The Diagnostics division, centered around its subsidiary BioReference Health, LLC, is one of the largest clinical laboratories in the U.S., serving millions of patients annually. It offers a wide array of testing services, with a focus on clinical diagnostics, genetics, and women's health. A key product in this segment is the 4Kscore® Test, a blood test that provides a personalized risk score for aggressive prostate cancer, helping physicians and patients make more informed decisions about the necessity of a prostate biopsy. The Diagnostics segment also includes GeneDx, which specializes in genomic and data science, focusing on whole exome and genome sequencing to diagnose rare and ultra-rare genetic disorders, primarily serving pediatric patients.

In the Pharmaceuticals segment, OPKO develops and commercializes a portfolio of products. Its flagship product is Rayaldee®, an extended-release capsule for treating secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) in adults with stage 3 or 4 chronic kidney disease and vitamin D insufficiency. Another significant product, developed in partnership with Pfizer, is NGENLA™, a long-acting human growth hormone for pediatric growth hormone deficiency. OPKO's growth strategy has been notably driven by acquisitions, including Bio-Reference Laboratories in 2015 for $1.47 billion, Prolor Biotech in 2013 to enhance its long-acting protein technology, and ModeX Therapeutics in 2022 to gain immunotherapy technology. The company's robust research and development pipeline is focused on creating long-acting versions of therapeutic proteins and multispecific therapies for conditions like cancer and infectious diseases, leveraging its proprietary CTP and reversible PEGylation technologies.

Keywords: biopharmaceutical, diagnostics, Dr. Phillip Frost, BioReference Laboratories, 4Kscore test, prostate cancer diagnostics, GeneDx, genomic testing, rare diseases, Rayaldee, chronic kidney disease, secondary hyperparathyroidism, NGENLA, pediatric growth hormone deficiency, strategic acquisitions, clinical laboratories, long-acting protein technology, immunotherapy, pharmaceutical development, CTP technology