What Esperion does

Esperion Therapeutics is a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, that develops and markets oral, non-statin lipid-lowering therapies for cardiovascular disease. The company was founded in 2008 by Dr. Roger S. Newton around bempedoic acid — the first and only FDA-approved ATP-citrate lyase (ACLY) inhibitor — acquired from Pfizer along with worldwide patent rights. Its commercial portfolio consists of NEXLETOL (bempedoic acid monotherapy) and NEXLIZET (bempedoic acid/ezetimibe combination), both approved in the U.S. and Europe for LDL-C reduction in statin-intolerant and high-risk cardiovascular patients, and most recently expanded via the March 2026 acquisition of Corstasis Therapeutics to include Enbumyst (bumetanide nasal spray), the first FDA-approved nasal spray loop diuretic.

The company monetizes through a dual-channel model: direct U.S. commercial operations with a field sales force targeting cardiologists, lipidologists, and primary care physicians (FY2025 U.S. net product revenue of $159.6M, 38% YoY growth) complemented by a global partnership network for international markets — Daiichi Sankyo Europe (30+ countries), Otsuka Japan, HLS Therapeutics Canada, CSL Seqirus Australia/NZ, and Neopharm Israel. Total FY2025 revenue reached $403.1 million (21% YoY growth), inclusive of $243.6M in collaboration revenue spanning royalties, milestones (notably a $90M Otsuka payment tied to Japan launch), and product supply. The pipeline includes ESP-2001, a next-generation allosteric ACLY inhibitor in preclinical development for primary sclerosing cholangitis, and the company holds composition-of-matter patent protection through 2030 in the U.S. and settlement agreements restricting ANDA generic entry until April 2040.

Esperion operates as a public company on NASDAQ under ticker ESPR, but in May 2026 ARCHIMED agreed to acquire the company for approximately $1.1 billion ($3.16 per share plus up to $100M in contingent value), with closing expected in Q3 2026 and a consequent delisting. The current headcount range is 251-500 employees, and the company holds Class 1 guideline recommendations from 2026 ACC/AHA and ESC/EAS 2025 positioning bempedoic acid alongside PCSK9 inhibitors in standard lipid management.

Name

Esperion

Legal name

Esperion Therapeutics, Inc.

Website

http://www.esperion.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cardiovascular Pharmaceuticals

NAICS

Drugs and Druggists' Sundries Merchant Wholesalers (4242)

SIC

Medicinal Chemicals & Botanical Products (2833)

akta.pro primary industry

Cardiology & Vascular Specialty Pharmaceuticals (HLAIACAG)

Keywords

• Cardiovascular pharmaceuticals
• Lipid lowering therapies
• LDL cholesterol drugs
• Biopharmaceutical products
• Heart failure treatments

Headquarters

HQ city

Ann Arbor

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. U.S. Product Sales: Direct net product revenue from sales of NEXLETOL (bempedoic acid) and NEXLIZET (bempedoic acid/ezetimibe combination) in the United States. Q4 2025 U.S. net product revenue was $43.7 million, growing 38% year-over-year. Full year 2025 U.S. net product sales reached $159.6 million.
2. Collaboration Revenue: Revenue from international partners including royalty payments, milestone payments, and product sales to partners. Q4 2025 collaboration revenue was $124.7 million (including $90M Otsuka milestone). Full year 2025 collaboration revenue was $243.6 million. Royalty revenue from Daiichi Sankyo Europe was $14.6 million in Q4 2025, up 51% year-over-year.
3. Milestone Payments: One-time payments from partners upon regulatory approvals and commercial launches. Esperion received $90 million from Otsuka following Japan regulatory approval and favorable NHI price listing for NEXLETOL.
4. Royalty Monetization: Sale of royalty interests to capital partners. Esperion sold Japan royalty rights for $50 million to Athyrium Capital Management to fund the Corstasis acquisition. Transaction involves tiered royalties from 12% to 33% until 2x ROI, after which rights revert to Esperion.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Esperion is a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company that develops and commercializes FDA-approved oral non-statin LDL-cholesterol lowering therapies—NEXLETOL (bempedoic acid) and NEXLIZET (bempedoic acid/ezetimibe)—for cardiovascular risk reduction in statin-intolerant patients. Through its 2026 Corstasis Therapeutics acquisition, Esperion also markets Enbumyst (bumetanide nasal spray), the first FDA-approved nasal spray loop diuretic for edema in heart failure, hepatic, and renal disease. Internationally, bempedoic acid products are commercialized as NILEMDO and Nustendi through regional partners.

Product overview

Esperion is a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company with two FDA-approved oral non-statin therapies for cardiovascular disease: NEXLETOL (bempedoic acid) and NEXLIZET (bempedoic acid/ezetimibe combination). In 2026, Esperion expanded its portfolio through the acquisition of Corstasis Therapeutics, adding Enbumyst (bumetanide nasal spray) - the first FDA-approved nasal spray loop diuretic for edema. The company is also developing ESP-2001, a next-generation ACLY inhibitor for primary sclerosing cholangitis. Internationally, bempedoic acid is marketed as NILEMDO and Nustendi through partnerships with Daiichi Sankyo Europe and HLS Therapeutics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NEXLETOL: FDA-approved bempedoic acid tablet for reducing LDL-C in adults with hypercholesterolemia, including heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH).
• NEXLIZET
• Enbumyst
• ESP-2001
• NILEMDO
• Nustendi

Products and services

• NEXLETOL (bempedoic acid) Oral, once-daily, first-in-class non-statin LDL-C lowering therapy for adults with hypercholesterolemia inadequately treated with statins. First and only FDA-approved ATP citrate lyase (ACLY) inhibitor for cardiovascular risk reduction. Targets statin-intolerant patients with proven cardiovascular event reduction in the CLEAR Outcomes trial.
• NEXLIZET (bempedoic acid and ezetimibe) Combination tablet containing bempedoic acid plus ezetimibe for enhanced LDL-C reduction in adults with hypercholesterolemia, including heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia. Combines two complementary mechanisms (ACLY inhibition and cholesterol absorption inhibition) to deliver 38% additional LDL-C reduction beyond statin or bempedoic acid monotherapy.
• Enbumyst (bumetanide nasal spray) First and only FDA-approved nasal spray loop diuretic (bumetanide) for outpatient treatment of edema associated with congestive heart failure, hepatic disease, and renal disease in adults. Provides rapid onset of action and addresses an estimated $4 billion+ U.S. market opportunity across the 6.7 million American adults living with congestive heart failure.
• NILEMDO (bempedoic acid) - International Brand European brand of bempedoic acid marketed by Daiichi Sankyo Europe and HLS Therapeutics (Canada) for LDL-C reduction in patients with hypercholesterolemia and cardiovascular risk. Commercialized through Esperion's international partnership network covering 30+ European countries.
• Nustendi (bempedoic acid and ezetimibe) - International Brand European brand of the bempedoic acid and ezetimibe combination tablet commercialized by Daiichi Sankyo Europe for LDL-C reduction in patients at risk of cardiovascular disease.
• ESP-2001 (preclinical pipeline candidate) Preclinical development candidate—a highly specific next-generation allosteric ATP-citrate lyase (ACLY) inhibitor—being developed for the treatment of primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), a rare progressive liver disease with no approved treatments affecting approximately 76,000 diagnosed patients in the U.S. and Europe. Potential Orphan Drug and Fast Track designations expected with IND filing anticipated in 2026.

Quantifiable outcome

• 42% reduction in venous thromboembolism risk with bempedoic acid treatment in CLEAR Outcomes post-hoc analysis
• +7 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and strategic.

• Corstasis TherapeuticscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 March 2026Esperion acquired Corstasis Therapeutics for $75 million upfront cash plus up to $180 million in milestone payments and low double-digit royalties. The acquisition brings Enbumyst (bumetanide nasal spray), the first FDA-approved nasal spray loop diuretic for edema associated with heart failure, into Esperion's cardiovascular franchise. The transaction targets a U.S. market exceeding $4 billion and is expected to close Q2 2026, subject to customary closing conditions.
• CSL SeqirusminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 July 2025CSL Seqirus is Esperion's partner for Australia and New Zealand. Filed marketing application for NEXLETOL and NEXLIZET in Australia in July 2025, with expected market approval in Q4 2026.
• HLS TherapeuticsstrategicChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 May 2025HLS Therapeutics in-licensed exclusive Canadian rights to NILEMDO and NEXLIZET from Esperion in May 2025. NILEMDO received Health Canada approval and launched commercially in March 2026 targeting over 500,000 statin-intolerant Canadians. NEXLIZET approval expected in 2027.
• Neopharm IsraelminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2025Neopharm Israel is Esperion's partner for the Israeli market. Regulatory approval for NEXLETOL and NEXLIZET expected in first half of 2026.
• Daiichi Sankyo EuropecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2018Daiichi Sankyo Europe commercializes NILEMDO (bempedoic acid) and NUSTENDI (bempedoic acid/ezetimibe) across the European Economic Area, UK, Turkey, and Switzerland. Partnership expanded in April 2021 to include S. Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Vietnam, Brazil, and other markets. Products launched in 30+ countries with double-digit annual growth and 700,000+ patients treated.
• Otsuka Pharmaceutical CompanycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2018Otsuka manages development, regulatory approvals, and commercialization of bempedoic acid in Japan. Total agreement value of $600 million including milestones and development costs, with significant royalties on net sales. NEXLETOL received regulatory approval and NHI pricing in late 2025, triggering $90 million payment to Esperion with commercial launch underway.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• Amgen: Global biopharma with Repatha (evolocumab), a leading PCSK9 inhibitor for LDL-C lowering. Competes directly with bempedoic acid in statin-intolerant/high-risk patients but operates at much larger scale across multiple therapeutic areas.
• Novartis: Markets Leqvio (inclisiran), a siRNA-based PCSK9-targeting therapy for LDL-C lowering. Represents an emerging non-statin alternative competing for the same cardiologist/lipidologist prescribing workflow, though Novartis operates a much broader pharmaceutical portfolio.
• Pfizer: Original developer and licensor of bempedoic acid before spinning out Esperion; Pfizer markets Lipitor and broader cardiovascular portfolio. Historical and structural relationship with Esperion, and competes for cardiologist prescription share through established statin franchise.
• Regeneron Pharmaceuticals: Commercializes Praluent (alirocumab) in partnership with Sanofi as a PCSK9 inhibitor for LDL-C reduction. Direct competitor in lipid management, complemented by broader ophthalmology, oncology, and immunology franchises.

Others

• Otsuka Pharmaceutical: Japanese pharma partner commercializing NEXLETOL in Japan following late-2025 launch. Distribution partner and major collaboration-revenue contributor ($90M milestone in 2025) rather than direct competitor; comparable in cardiovascular commercial infrastructure scale.
• HLS Therapeutics: Canadian specialty pharma commercializing NILEMDO/NEXLIZET under license from Esperion. Adjacent ecosystem participant and distribution partner rather than direct competitor; relevant for understanding Canadian commercial economics.

Direct peers

• Madrigal Pharmaceuticals: Commercial-stage specialty biopharma with Rezdiffra (resmetirom) for MASH, a cardiometabolic/liver disease therapy. Comparable specialty-pharma commercial model targeting metabolic-disease specialists, with similar launch-stage growth profile.
• Amarin Corporation: Cardiovascular-focused specialty pharma commercializing Vascepa (icosapent ethyl) for cardiovascular risk reduction. Comparable in cardiovascular specialty pharma commercial model, prescriber focus on cardiologists, and lipid/risk-reduction therapeutic category.
• NewAmsterdam Pharma: Late-stage clinical biopharma developing obicetrapib, an oral CETP inhibitor for LDL-C lowering in high-risk cardiovascular patients. Direct competitor to bempedoic acid in the same statin-intolerant and high-risk patient segments targeted by NEXLETOL/NEXLIZET.

Emerging players

• Ionis Pharmaceuticals: Develops antisense-based therapies including olpasiran for elevated Lp(a) and other cardiometabolic targets. Relevant as an emerging player in next-generation lipid-lowering with overlapping prescriber audience and complementary mechanism.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Esperion
• Facebookfacebook.com/511087715571941
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/esperion-therapeutics-plymouth-mi
• Instagraminstagram.com/esperioninc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds12 records

Investors10 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Esperion