Vidara Therapeutics

Vidara Therapeutics, founded in 2011 by Bala Venkataraman and co-founded by Dr. Virinder Nohria, operated as a specialty pharmaceutical company with a focus on acquiring and marketing treatments for orphan and niche diseases. The company's strategic business model centered on licensing or acquiring products, exemplified by its key acquisition of ACTIMMUNE® (interferon gamma-1b) from InterMune for $55 million in 2012. Bala Venkataraman, a chemist with prior experience co-founding Alaven Pharmaceutical and serving as COO at First Horizon Pharmaceutical, leveraged his industry expertise to guide Vidara's growth. Dr. Nohria, a board-certified neurologist, served as the company's President and Chief Medical Officer, bringing significant drug development and entrepreneurial experience to the leadership team.

The company's core asset, ACTIMMUNE, is a biologic drug approved by the FDA for treating Chronic Granulomatous Disease (CGD) and severe, malignant osteopetrosis (SMO). It functions by reducing the frequency and severity of serious infections in patients with CGD and delaying disease progression in those with SMO. Vidara successfully commercialized this product, generating nearly $59 million in net sales in 2013 alone. The business operated by marketing this specialty product to a targeted group of primary care physicians and specialists.

In a significant milestone, Vidara Therapeutics was acquired by Horizon Pharma in March 2014 for approximately $660 million in a cash-and-stock deal. This transaction was structured as a reverse merger, resulting in the formation of Horizon Pharma plc, an Ireland-based entity. The acquisition provided Horizon with Vidara's profitable product, ACTIMMUNE, and a more tax-efficient corporate structure to support future growth and acquisitions. Following the acquisition, Vidara's executives, including its founder, joined the combined company in key leadership roles, with Bala Venkataraman remaining a significant shareholder.

Keywords: Vidara Therapeutics, ACTIMMUNE, interferon gamma-1b, Chronic Granulomatous Disease, severe malignant osteopetrosis, specialty pharmaceutical, orphan drugs, Horizon Pharma acquisition, Bala Venkataraman, Virinder Nohria, biologics, immune system disorder, pharmaceutical acquisition, drug commercialization, rare diseases, InterMune, life sciences, biopharma, CGD, SMO