Aegerion Pharmaceuticals
Aegerion Pharmaceuticals is a specialty biopharmaceutical company, founded 2005 and based in Cambridge, MA, that developed and commercialized orphan therapeutics for rare cardiovascular and metabolic diseases including Juxtapid and Myalept.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersCambridge, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Aegerion Pharmaceuticals does
Aegerion Pharmaceuticals was a specialty biopharmaceutical company that developed and commercialized therapeutics for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, with a focus on rare and ultra-rare indications where unmet medical need supported orphan-drug regulatory pathways. Founded in 2005 and based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the company's product portfolio centered on proprietary, FDA-approved assets such as Juxtapid (lomitapide) for homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia and Myalept (metreleptin, acquired November 2014) for generalized lipodystrophy. The business model followed a traditional specialty-pharma commercial approach: high list-price, per-patient annual therapy delivered through trained physician specialty channels, with operations extending across the United States and — per the existence of a President, EMEA role — into Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The firm had a workforce of 101-250 employees organized around commercial sales, global quality (overseen by a VP, Global Quality), and regulatory/medical affairs.
The company was capitalized historically through multiple venture rounds totaling roughly $82M (2006-2010) from Advent International, Alta Partners, Index Ventures, Scheer Partners, and MVM Life Science Partners, followed by a public listing on NASDAQ under the ticker AEGR. Its corporate trajectory post-IPO included the Myalept acquisition and — per the firmographic record showing a now-delisted status — concluded with a corporate transaction (the 2016/2017 Novelion Therapeutics merger and subsequent financial restructuring). No operating revenue, current headcount trend, post-merger product pipeline, or active pipeline detail is contained in the provided source material.
Aegerion Pharmaceuticals firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Aegerion Pharmaceuticals
- Website
- https://aegerion.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Aegerion Pharmaceuticals is a specialty biopharmaceutical company, founded 2005 and based in Cambridge, MA, that developed and commercialized orphan therapeutics for rare cardiovascular and metabolic diseases including Juxtapid and Myalept.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Aegerion Pharmaceuticals industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cardiovascular Pharmaceuticals
- NAICS
- Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)
- SIC
- Wholesale-Drugs, Proprietaries & Druggists' Sundries (5122)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Lipidology & Dyslipidemia (HLAKADAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Rare Cardiovascular & Vascular Disorder Therapies (HLAIAIAH), Endocrinology & Metabolic Specialty Pharmaceuticals (HLAIACAD), Cardiology & Vascular Specialty Pharmaceuticals (HLAIACAG)
Keywords
Where Aegerion Pharmaceuticals is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cambridge
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Aegerion Pharmaceuticals business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Aegerion Pharmaceuticals product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Aegerion Pharmaceuticals develops and commercializes therapeutics to treat cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, with a primary focus on rare lipid disorders. The company's key commercial product, Myalept (metreleptin), is a recombinant leptin biologic indicated for the treatment of generalized lipodystrophy, a rare metabolic condition. Aegerion's pipeline and commercial focus centers on addressing unmet medical needs in small patient populations affected by inherited metabolic disorders.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Myalept (metreleptin) Myalept (metreleptin) is a recombinant leptin biologic indicated for the treatment of generalized lipodystrophy, a rare metabolic disorder characterized by the loss of adipose tissue and severe metabolic abnormalities. It is prescribed by endocrinologists and administered to patients with confirmed diagnoses of congenital or acquired generalized lipodystrophy.
Companies that use Aegerion Pharmaceuticals
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles1 record
Aegerion Pharmaceuticals technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Aegerion Pharmaceuticals partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Aegerion Pharmaceuticals competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals: Co-develops Praluent (alirocumab), a PCSK9 inhibitor approved for HoFH and clinical ASCVD; competes head-to-head with Aegerion's Juxtapid in the severe dyslipidemia segment.
- BioMarin Pharmaceutical: Specialty rare-disease biotech with a metabolic-disease franchise (e.g., Vimizim, Naglazyme) and a comparable orphan-pricing and ultra-rare patient model to Aegerion's commercial approach.
- Amgen: Markets Repatha (evolocumab), a PCSK9 inhibitor approved for HoFH and severe dyslipidemia, directly competing with Juxtapid for the same narrow HoFH population while offering broader label reach.
Emerging players
- Genfit: Late-stage biotech developing therapeutics for metabolic and liver diseases, including dyslipidemia; competes for similar specialist prescribers and payer attention as Aegerion.
- Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical: Commercial-stage rare-disease biotech with metabolic and endocrine franchises; useful comparator for understanding orphan-disease launch economics similar to Aegerion's Myalept.
- Madrigal Pharmaceuticals: Focused on metabolic/lipid-related liver disease (resmetirom for NASH/MASH), addressing an adjacent cardiometabolic specialty-pharma market with similar patient-identification and pricing dynamics.
Direct peers
- Amarin Corporation: Specialty cardiovascular pharma focused on lipid management (icosapent ethyl/Vascepa for severe hypertriglyceridemia and cardiovascular risk reduction). Highly comparable to Aegerion's dyslipidemia franchise.
- Esperion Therapeutics: Develops oral LDL-C lowering therapies (bempedoic acid/NEXLETOL, NEXLIZET) for dyslipidemia patients, including statin-intolerant populations. Operates in the same lipidology market and patient pool as Aegerion.
- Akcea Therapeutics (Ionis subsidiary): Commercializes Ionis's lipid-disorder antisense portfolio (Waylivra, Tegsedi); essentially a direct competitor in rare lipidology and metabolic disease commercialization.
- Ionis Pharmaceuticals: Antisense-based therapies for severe lipid disorders (e.g., Waylivra for FCS, Tegsedi for hATTR), targeting ultra-rare dyslipidemia indications analogous to Aegerion's HoFH focus.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Aegerion Pharmaceuticals social profiles
Digital presenceAegerion Pharmaceuticals financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Aegerion Pharmaceuticals leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Aegerion Pharmaceuticals funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds5 records
Investors5 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Aegerion Pharmaceuticals M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Aegerion Pharmaceuticals
What does Aegerion Pharmaceuticals do?
Aegerion Pharmaceuticals develops and commercializes therapeutics to treat cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, with a primary focus on rare lipid disorders. The company's key commercial product, Myalept (metreleptin), is a recombinant leptin biologic indicated for the treatment of generalized lipodystrophy, a rare metabolic condition. Aegerion's pipeline and commercial focus centers on addressing unmet medical needs in small patient populations affected by inherited metabolic disorders.
When was Aegerion Pharmaceuticals founded?
Aegerion Pharmaceuticals was founded in 2005. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Aegerion Pharmaceuticals based?
Aegerion Pharmaceuticals is headquartered in Cambridge, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Aegerion Pharmaceuticals's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, BioMarin Pharmaceutical and Amgen. Emerging players are Genfit, Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical and Madrigal Pharmaceuticals. Direct peers are Amarin Corporation, Esperion Therapeutics, Akcea Therapeutics (Ionis subsidiary) and Ionis Pharmaceuticals.
Does Aegerion Pharmaceuticals have an API?
No public API is recorded for Aegerion Pharmaceuticals.
What industry is Aegerion Pharmaceuticals in?
Aegerion Pharmaceuticals's product category is Cardiovascular Pharmaceuticals. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAKADAK, Lipidology & Dyslipidemia, with a secondary code of HLAIAIAH, Rare Cardiovascular & Vascular Disorder Therapies. Its NAICS code is 541714 and its SIC code is 5122.