Ironwood: ‘We intend to be here for a very long time’
In an industry where everyone seems to be rushing for the exits, Ironwood Pharmaceuticals stands out as a company that wants to stand alone as an independent, developing new drugs and bringing them into its own commercial network.
Investors embraced this courageous, contrarian business strategy by backing an initial public offering (IPO) that grabbed headlines earlier this year and raised USD 203 million to help Ironwood advance its lead drug candidate.
At BioPharm America™, 
Ironwood’s VP of business development, James O’Mara is searching for new partners to expand opportunities either by in-licensing new products or by securing distribution for linaclotide, a late stage drug for gastrointestinal (GI) disorders.
“We have partners for linaclotide in the USA, Europe and Japan, which leaves about five billion people not covered by a distribution agreement,” he said, adding that, “right now we are working on a strategy to cover those available territories.”
Linaclotide is a first-in-class compound for the treatment of patients with irritable bowel syndrome with constipation and chronic constipation, a population that Ironwood estimates to be 10 million patients in the United States alone.
“Bringing linaclotide to market has been a long road,” he said, “and along the way Ironwood has built up an infrastructure for drug development and commercialization, and equally important a collaborative mindset, that today gives the company the capabilities to take on new opportunities.”
“Clearly GI is a sweet spot for us,” he added.
“If approved, linaclotide is going to win a great deal of access for Ironwood in the GI area,” he said, explaining that “putting another product in the bag of reps working in this space can allow that product to piggyback on broad exposure to gastroenterologists, as well as primary care physicians, who write the majority of prescriptions for patients with highly symptomatic conditions.”
“We are interested in focusing on other highly symptomatic conditions as we are very experienced and adept at designing clinical trials, and developing the patient reported outcomes (PRO) required for these types of products,” he said.
“We want to live in that interface between the physician and the patient to enable a more productive dialogue which we believe will result in better healthcare. In other words, physicians initiate treatment based on a patients’ description of their symptoms. We have built a team, with experience on brands such as Zelnorm, Nexium, and Cialis, that is adept at supporting consumers as they define their disease state,” said O’Mara. “These symptomatic conditions allow for this type of marketing strategy.”
As part of Ironwood’s screening process ahead of BioPharm America, O’Mara reported that he meets with the scientific team to compare lists of therapeutic areas and targets of internal interest, and the profiles of companies attending the meeting.
“We have learned that the company most likely to succeed in an area of interest to us may be out there ahead of us,” he said.
“The hardest thing to do in this business is to find a product you can believe in,” said O’Mara.
“That is the first hurdle, finding something that I and my scientific colleagues are willing to take before our management team and shareholders and stand up to say, ‘This is where Ironwood should invest.’
The next hurdle is finding a partner with an overlapping deal strategy.
“Our most productive discussions are with companies that have a clear vision for their future, whether their mission is to be acquired or to be marketing products. We believe Ironwood can differentiate itself in its flexibility in meeting the partner’s goals and the importance of the product to our pipeline.
“Ironwood is looking for products for in-licensing today because we intend to be here for a very long time, bringing important medicines to the patients who need them,” he said.
“If we can find the deal that is going to help us do that, and enable the partner as well, then we are going to be interested in that opportunity,” he said.
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