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Acorda Therapeutics

acor · NASDAQ Healthcare
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Industry Drug Manufacturers - Specialty & Generic
Employees 201-500
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FY2017 Annual Report · Acorda Therapeutics
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2 0 1 7   A N N U A L   R E P O R T

LE T TER FROM THE  CEO

Dear Shareholder:

Acorda experienced a number of setbacks in 2017. Notwithstanding these challenges, we 

delivered positive Phase 3 and long-term safety studies for our innovative investigational 

Parkinson’s therapy, INBRIJA™ (levodopa inhalation powder). We also submitted an NDA 

(New Drug Application) for INBRIJA, which in February was accepted for filing by the FDA. 

And we recently submitted an MAA (Marketing Approval Application) for INBRIJA to the 

European Medicines Agency. 

Acorda’s Leadership Team, Board of Directors, and associates took decisive actions in 

2017, and as a result Acorda has emerged in 2018 as a streamlined organization with a 

strong cash position, focused on the approval and successful US launch of INBRIJA. 

Ron Cohen, M.D.
President and CEO

2017—CHALLENGES  
AND A MAJOR MILESTONE

In March, a US district court invalidated four patents, which 
would have preserved market exclusivity for AMPYRA® 
(dalfampridine) into 2025. We strongly disagree with the 

In November, we announced the discontinuation of 

We presented the full Phase 3 efficacy and interim 

commercialization of INBRIJA. During the year, we also 

the tozadenant development program due to the 

long-term safety data sets in June 2017 at the annual 

emergence of the serious adverse event agranulocytosis 

International Congress of Parkinson’s Disease and 

and associated serious adverse events. At the time of 

Movement Disorders, both during the scientific sessions 

the discontinuation, over 90% of the participants had 

and at an investor webinar during the conference. These 

monetized the sales or royalty streams from several of our 
smaller commercial products, ZANAFLEX CAPSULES® 
(tizanidine HCl), FAMPYRA® (prolonged-release fampridine 
tablets), and SELINCRO TM (nalmefene), adding $57 million 

completed the study and we plan to present those data in 

presentations were enthusiastically received by both 

dollars to our cash balance. We closed 2017 with $307 

court’s ruling and are in the process of appealing the 

future medical and scientific venues.

healthcare professionals and investors. We were also 

million and also expect to end 2018 with over $300 million 

decision. We look forward to presenting our case in an oral 

assigned four platform presentations for our submissions 

in cash on hand. We are now well-capitalized for the 

argument to the appellate court, scheduled for June 7 of 

In the first quarter, we reported a major milestone—

on INBRIJA data at the American Academy of Neurology 

launch of INBRIJA.

this year.

positive results from our INBRIJA Phase 3 efficacy and 

(AAN) conference on April 24.

In June, we submitted an NDA for INBRIJA; the FDA 

primary endpoint, a statistically significant improvement 

FOCUS ON INBRIJA AND VALUE CREATION

responded with a “Refusal to File” (RTF) letter, citing 

in motor function compared to placebo. The data from the 

long-term safety studies. The efficacy study met its 

INBRIJA—TARGETING AN IMPORTANT  
UNMET NEED IN PARKINSON’S 

two deficiencies unrelated to data that were readily 

long-term safety study in people with Parkinson’s showed 

In response to the challenges of 2017, we implemented 

INBRIJA is an investigational, self-administered, inhaled 

addressed. We resubmitted the NDA in December 2017 

no differences in pulmonary function between the group 

and announced the FDA’s acceptance of the filing on 
February 20; the PDUFA target action date is October 5, 

receiving INBRIJA and an observational control group. 

Cough was the most frequently reported adverse event in 

a comprehensive corporate restructuring, streamlining 

the organization and its cost structure and significantly 

increasing our cash reserves. In March, immediately after 

form of levodopa that relies on the Company’s proprietary 
ARCUS® technology; it has been developed to address 
symptoms of OFF periods in people with Parkinson’s 

2018. We also filed an MAA with the European Medicines 

both studies and was generally reported as mild.

the district court’s ruling on AMPYRA, we substantially 

disease, who are on a carbidopa/levodopa-based regimen. 

Agency in March 2018. We plan to seek a partner for the 

commercialization of INBRIJA in ex-US territories.

2

reduced headcount and expenses, focusing the 

OFF periods are times throughout the day when a patient’s 

company on preparing for the manufacture, launch, and 

oral regimen of levodopa unpredictably wears off, leading

3

to the re-emergence of Parkinson’s symptoms. These 

with Parkinson’s, care partners, and advocacy groups. Our 

market penetration in five years; we believe that our 

SUMMARY

OFF periods are considered by patients, care partners, and 

“Live Well. Do Tell.” initiative is the result of that meeting; 

successful neurology commercial experience and 

physicians to be one of the most debilitating and disruptive 

its goal is to encourage productive conversations about 

infrastructure provide a solid foundation for the successful 

aspects of the disease. In a 2014 survey of more than 

Parkinson’s symptoms among those living with the 

launch of INBRIJA.

3,000 people with Parkinson’s conducted by the Michael J. 

condition, their families, care partners, and healthcare 

Fox Foundation, 64% of respondents reported greater than 

professionals. Our Facebook page, “The Many Faces of 

ARCUS 

two hours of OFF time per day.

OFF”, is the most successful industry-sponsored page in 

the Parkinson’s space, with over 87,000 “likes” and over 

Both healthcare professionals and people with Parkinson’s 

250,000 video views since it was launched in late 2016.

consider oral levodopa to be the gold standard of 

treatment for Parkinson’s, and we have heard consistent 

enthusiasm for an inhaled form of levodopa to treat OFF 

LEADING SPECIALTY SALES  
AND MARKETING ORGANIZATION

Challenges are inevitable in drug development, in which 

about 90% of drugs that go into human clinical trials 

ultimately fail. We clustered a number of these challenges 

in 2017, at the same time achieving major successes in the 

INBRIJA development program. We have learned from our 

setbacks, and Acorda has emerged as a more focused, 

efficient, and high-performing organization—one that is 

poised to make INBRIJA an important drug launch in the 

Our proprietary ARCUS drug delivery technology emerged 

from the laboratory of Dr. Robert S. Langer, and was 

developed in collaboration with the Massachusetts 

Institute of Technology. We believe it will be an important 

Parkinson’s space. 

platform for the future growth of Acorda. Currently, we 

are working on an inhaled product for rapid relief of 

We anticipate the following key milestones in the next  

periods. Based on our extensive market research and our 

increased understanding of the Parkinson’s space, we 

have increased our US peak net sales figure for INBRIJA to 

greater than $800 million.

Since the launch of AMPYRA, Acorda has developed one 

migraine, and also are working with the Bill & Melinda 

12 months:

of the most effective specialty sales teams in the US. 

Gates Foundation to develop a dry powder version of lung 

Our current sales force is appropriately scaled to address 

surfactant, a treatment for neonatal respiratory distress 

 • INBRIJA: Approval and commercialization
 • AMPYRA: Oral argument and decision for appeal of  

movement disorder specialists throughout the US. Our 

syndrome. While the surfactant program is not aimed 

district court decision

AN EMERGING LEADER IN THE  
PARKINSON’S COMMUNITY

customer service hub for AMPYRA allows us to address 

at developing a commercial product, our work here will 

patient issues with prescription fulfillment and insurance 

be helpful in adapting ARCUS in developing additional 

coverage and to monitor compliance. There also are 

commercial pediatric uses; we are currently evaluating 

Over the past two years, we have held a number of 

considerable parallels between AMPYRA and INBRIJA—

several potential applications.

advisory boards across a wide range of audiences. In 
September, Acorda convened a multi-disciplinary advisory 

both are therapies that address a symptom of a disease 
that is not well understood or articulated by healthcare 

board meeting that included the “four pillars” of the 

professionals or patients. AMPYRA was the top  

Parkinson’s community: healthcare professionals, people 

specialty drug launch of 2010 and achieved 50% target 

4

On behalf of our Leadership Team, Board of Directors, 

and our associates, thank you, our shareholders, for your 

continued support. We look forward to delivering on  

Acorda’s opportunities for building substantial value in 

2018 and beyond.

Ron Cohen, M.D. 

President and CEO

5

MANAGEMENT

MANAGEMENT 
TEAM

Ron Cohen, M.D.

President and Chief Executive Officer

David Lawrence, M.B.A.

Chief, Business Operations, and  
Principal Accounting Officer

Richard P. Batycky, Ph.D.

Chief Technology Officer and Site Head

Burkhard Blank, M.D.

Chief Medical Officer

Denise Duca, Ed.M.

Executive Vice President, 
Human Resources

Andrew A. Hindman

Chief Business Officer

Lauren Sabella

Chief Commercial Officer

Tierney Saccavino

Executive Vice President, 
Corporate Communications

Jane Wasman, J.D.

President, International and 
General Counsel

BOARD OF
DIRECTORS

Ron Cohen, M.D.

Founder

Lorin J. Randall

Board Member since 2006 

Barry Greene

Steven M. Rauscher

Board Member since 2007 

Board Member since 2005

Peder K. Jensen, M.D.

Ian F. Smith

Board Member since 2011

Board Member since 2007

John P. Kelley

Board Member since 2008

Catherine D. Strader, Ph.D.

Board Member since 2017

Sandra Panem, Ph.D.

Board Member since 1998

6

 
Contact:

Felicia Vonella
Executive Director, Investor Relations

fvonella@acorda.com
914-326-5146

ARCUS is a registered trademark of Precision BioSciences, Inc. ACORDA THERAPEUTICS, the stylized ACORDA THERAPEUTICS logo, AMPYRA, FAMPYRA, and ZANAFLEX are registered 
trademarks of Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. INBRIJA and “Live Well. Do Tell.” are trademarks of Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. THE MANY FACES OF OFF is a service mark of Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. 
SELINCRO is a trademark of H. Lundbeck A/S. ©2018 Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. All rights reserved.