From its headquarters in the Greater Philadelphia Region, Cephalon has achieved a broad international presence and earned distinction for its proprietary pharmaceutical products for the treatment of neurological diseases, sleep disorders, cancer and pain.

Today, Cephalon is poised for a new level of growth.  From researching target molecules to advancing late-stage compounds, Cephalon is preparing an expanded portfolio of therapies that promise to meet unmet medical needs.

With approximately 2,000 employees in the U.S. and Europe, Cephalon has achieved industry-leading sales and earnings growth while having a profound impact on human health. Cephalon is one of the world’s fastest growing biotech-based pharmaceutical companies. The company currently markets three proprietary products in the United States—PROVIGIL® (modafinil) Tablets [C-IV], GABITRIL® (tiagabine hydrochloride) and ACTIQ® (oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate) [C-II]—and more than 20 products internationally, and sales are approaching $1 billion. Cephalon is listed in the Nasdaq 100 Index, which reflects NASDAQ’s largest companies across major industry groups, and is ranked by Forbes as the sixth fastest growing technology company. Full prescribing information on its U.S. products is available at www.cephalon.com or by calling 1-800-896-5855.

Cephalon was founded in 1987 by Dr. Frank Baldino, Jr. and a group of pioneering young researchers, who had the vision of building an integrated biopharmaceutical company with a presence in major markets around the world. From the outset, the founders, and the team they assembled, adopted a realistic attitude towards growth and success, pursuing top-line as well as bottom-line growth and building a company that could survive and thrive regardless of the success or failure of any one product.

What makes Cephalon unique?

• Pioneering a balanced risk business model in the biotechnology sector. Early on, Cephalon adopted an approach that combines acquiring and marketing innovative, high-growth products with strong in-house research and development capabilities.
  
  
• Developing and marketing several first-in-class drugs: the first drug therapy for patients with certain serious sleep disorders; the first drug for treatment of breakthrough pain in opioid-tolerant cancer patients; the first and only FDA-approved selective GABA reuptake inhibitor (SGRI).
  
  
• Achieving sales and earnings growth rates that lead the industry.
  
  
• Investing aggressively in discovery research and clinical development, at a level that is among the highest in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries, relative to total revenue.
  
  
• Building a pipeline of products aimed at future growth, led by CEP-1347, a compound in Phase II/III clinical trials designed to determine if the compound can be the first drug to slow or stop the progression of Parkinson’s disease.
  
  
• Collaborating in partnerships to leverage research initiatives and share development risks.
  
  
• Assembling an experienced, proven management team leading an enthusiastic, entrepreneurial workforce.

“We feel good about what we’ve been able to accomplish,” notes Dr. Baldino. “The location of our corporate headquarters and R&D labs in the Greater Philadelphia Region has provided clear advantages to the company over the past 17 years.”

Cephalon sees a world in which therapeutic value to patients is maximized and no opportunity is overlooked. To create the world, Cephalon seeks ways to advance the company and the industry towards an ever more flexible and responsive approach to drug development

An agile and focused research & development organization…

From discovery research into drug candidates to development of late-stage compounds and extensions of existing products, Cephalon's global R&D organization is equipped to mobilize resources and industry-leading talent at every point on the drug development continuum. As a result, Cephalon advances drugs quickly and at whatever stage our research effort commences, and at any level of research complexity.

As a pharmaceutical leader, Cephalon reinvests about 25 percent of revenue in R&D. This investment is key to building a balanced pipeline of new chemical entities, new indications and product enhancements. Cephalon pursues R&D where the therapeutic targets are specific and relatively clear, and maintains development resources to rapidly pursue the most promising new opportunities that internal and third-party research may yield.

R&D strategy and business strategy are aligned…
Cephalon discovery research is focused on understanding and directing the molecular mechanisms of cell survival. By uncovering the cell signaling pathways that command a cell to survive and divide - or, conversely, to die - Cephalon is paving the way for novel therapeutics. The company’s R&D initiatives focus heavily in the areas of neurology and oncology, and Cephalon researchers use their technical expertise in molecular biology, molecular and behavioral pharmacology, biochemistry, cell biology, tumor biology and chemistry to develop new medicines and build product franchises in both therapeutic areas.

Neurology: Cephalon's neurology research program aims to develop therapies to halt the progression of neurodegenerative disease. Neurodegenerative diseases are a class of neurological disorders marked by the loss of nerve cells, or neurons. Most common among these is Parkinson's disease.

Oncology: Cephalon’s focus in oncology is to discover the mechanisms blocking programmed cell-death and to develop compounds to inhibit those mechanisms. The company’s current oncology research program includes two main therapeutic targets: solid tumors, which are associated with a broad range of cancers and hematological cancers such as Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML).