United Therapeutics

United Therapeutics Corporation is an American publicly traded biotechnology company and public benefit corporation listed on the NASDAQ under the symbol UTHR. It develops novel, life-extending technologies for patients in the areas of lung disease and organ manufacturing. United Therapeutics is co-headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland and Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, with additional facilities in Magog and Bromont, Quebec; Melbourne and Jacksonville, Florida; Blacksburg, Virginia; and Manchester, New Hampshire. History United Therapeutics was founded in 1996 by Martine Rothblatt, an American lawyer, author, and entrepreneur, who created Sirius XM. In 1994, Rothblatt's young daughter was diagnosed with a fatal orphan disease, pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Rothblatt sold her telecom stock and started the PPH Cure Foundation to fund PAH research. In 2002, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved United Therapeutics' drug Remodulin, a prostacyclin vasodilator used to treat PAH. Remodulin provided PAH patients with an alternative to GlaxoSmithKline's Flolan. By 2003, Remodulin annual sales had reached $50 million. By 2010, annual sales were $300 million and United Therapeutics' share price had increased 800 percent from the 1999 initial public offering price. In 2011, United Therapeutics acquired Revivicor, a company focused on developing genetic biotechnology platforms to provide alternative tissue sources for treatment. In 2018, the company acquired SteadyMed, a medical device company developing injectable therapeutic drugs for pulmonary hypertension. Other acquisitions include SynQuest in 1999 and Cooke Pharma in 2000. United Therapeutics has entered numerous licensing agreements and collaborations with companies such as Eli Lilly and Company, DEKA Research & Development, MannKind Corporation, and the National Cancer Institute. In January 2023, United Therapeutics’ market capitalization was $11.8 billion.