Our History

Alkermes' founders were initially drawn together by their interest in using novel technology to address important, unmet medical needs. Today, the mission remains the same: we leverage sophisticated extended-release drug technologies to create therapies for widespread diseases such as central nervous system disorders, schizophrenia and diabetes. The disease-area knowledge and patient insights that we've gained over the years are now propelling us toward new opportunities and new therapeutic solutions.

MILESTONES

June 1987
Michael Wall, Floyd Bloom, Paul Schimmel and Alexander Rich found Alkermes, Inc. Three of the four founders still sit on Alkermes' board today.

September 1988
Alkermes' laboratory in Cambridge, Massachusetts is operational, with a staff of 14 full-time employees.

February 1991
Richard F. Pops is appointed Chief Executive Officer of Alkermes.

July 1991
Alkermes makes its initial public offering (IPO) of approximately four million shares at $5 per share.

November 1992
Alkermes acquires Enzytech, Inc., resulting in access to Enzytech's extended-release drug technology. Mark Skaletsky, former Chairman of Enzytech, sits on Alkermes' board today.

March 1996
Alkermes acquires Medisorb®—a proprietary technology that allows medication to be gradually released into the body at a controlled rate over an extended period of time.

May 1996
Alkermes announces a collaboration with Janssen-Cilag, a wholly owned division of Johnson & Johnson, to develop an injectable sustained release formulation of RISPERDAL® based on the Medisorb technology.

June 1997
Scientists at Advanced Inhalation Research, Inc. (AIR), a company later acquired by Alkermes in 1999, publish an article in Science describing the principles behind the AIR® technology. AIR technology allows medicine to be safely and effectively delivered to the body via the lungs.

May 2000
Alkermes and Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. sign an agreement for the development and commercialization of exenatide once weekly for the treatment of diabetes.

August 2002
RISPERDAL® CONSTA® (risperidone) Long-Acting Injection is approved in the UK and in Spain. Today, RISPERDAL CONSTA is commercialized in more than 60 countries.

October 2003
The U.S. FDA approves RISPERDAL CONSTA for the treatment of schizophrenia. Janssen-Cilag, a wholly owned division of Johnson & Johnson, launches RISPERDAL CONSTA in the U.S.

April 2005
Data from the phase 3 clinical study of VIVITROL® (naltrexone for extended-release injectable suspension) is published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

June 2005
Alkermes and Cephalon, Inc. sign an agreement for the commercialization of VIVITROL in the U.S.

April 2006
The U.S. FDA approves VIVITROL for the treatment of alcohol dependence. Alkermes and Cephalon, Inc. launch VIVITROL in the U.S. for the treatment of alcohol dependence two months later.

October 2006
Alkermes expands its pipeline to include novel oral product candidates, announcing clinical development of ALKS 29 in patients with alcohol dependence. The company also enters into a license agreement for exclusive rights to a family of novel opioid receptor compounds discovered at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

April 2007
David Broecker becomes President and Chief Executive Officer, succeeding Richard F. Pops, who becomes Chairman of Alkermes' Board of Directors. Michael A. Wall, an Alkermes founder, steps down as Chairman and becomes Chairman Emeritus.

August 2008
VIVITROL is approved in Russia for the treatment of alcohol dependence, marking the approval of VIVITROL in a second country.

September 2008
Data from the 30-week study of exenatide once weekly is published in The Lancet.

November 2008
Alkermes regains full commercialization rights to VIVITROL in the U.S. from Cephalon.

May 2009
The U.S. FDA approves RISPERDAL CONSTA as both a monotherapy and adjunctive therapy in the maintenance treatment of bipolar I disorder. 

September 2009
Richard F. Pops assumes the role of President and Chief Executive Officer, in addition to his role as Chairman of the Board.

December 2009
Alkermes licenses a proprietary long-acting Fc fusion technology platform from Acceleron Pharma, Inc. This technology platform, called the Medifusion™ technology, is designed to extend the circulating half-life of proteins and peptides.

February 2010
Alkermes announces novel, proprietary LinkeRx™ technology platform, which enables the creation of injectable extended-release versions of antipsychotics and other CNS therapies.