Nothing demonstrates our innovation better than our diversified and balanced pipeline. Our projects are a mix of new ideas alongside activities where we have deep knowledge and experience. We have a healthy number of early and late-stage compounds in development, spanning a range of therapeutic areas – CNS, cardiovascular, immunological disorders, and orphan diseases. 

In 2022, we achieved a number of milestones demonstrating our progress in pushing the boundaries for the benefit of patients. In January 2022, we announced our first-ever product approval, with QUVIVIQ (daridorexant) being licensed by the FDA for the treatment of insomnia, and subsequently launched QUVIVIQ for the US market in May 2022. QUVIVIQ was also approved in 2022 in the EU, Switzerland, and the UK. In Europe, QUVIVIQ is the first dual-orexin receptor antagonist (DORA) approved for patients. 

Less than two weeks after the US approval of QUVIVIQ, the Japanese health authorities granted approval for PIVLAZ (clazosentan) for the prevention of cerebral vasospasm, vasospasm-related new cerebral infarction, and cerebral ischemic symptoms after treatment for aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). We quickly secured reimbursement and launched PIVLAZ in April 2022.  

We reported positive Phase 3 results for aprocitentan in patients with resistant hypertension. The results of the Phase 3 trial were presented at the American Heart Association conference and published in The Lancet. The New Drug Application for aprocitentan was filed with the FDA in December 2022 and the EMA in January 2023. 

We have also initiated OPUS, our Phase 3 confirmatory study of cenerimod in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). 

As a growing company, it is important that we attract, retain and advance top talent from all backgrounds and cultures. We harness the power of difference to achieve business success: our employees come from diverse cultural backgrounds, representing over 40 nationalities. We aim to create an inspiring working environment and provide equal opportunities for all our employees. We do not tolerate discrimination of any kind. Idorsia is committed to ensure full compliance with the gender representation and pay equality required by the Swiss regulations. The results of the 2020 gender pay equity analysis in Switzerland (published in the Compensation Report 2020) confirmed our company culture of equal opportunities and equal pay. Idorsia is committed to monitoring gender pay equity on an ongoing basis. In 2022, we repeated the gender pay equity analysis for Switzerland, which again confirmed our equal pay practice. As we are growing our operations internationally, we are extending our pay equity reviews to new geographies. 

Our future as a company depends on a workplace that enables employees to achieve their full potential – both at work and outside the office. We believe that a culture fostering employees’ development and growth is essential to our success. We take an integrated approach to rewards and talent management, designed to build an organization of highly engaged and enthusiastic professionals. 

Our simple and transparent reward and recognition philosophy is based on engaging everyone in an entrepreneurial approach to long-term value creation. Idorsia’s approach provides a simple and effective way to align individual and team efforts with Idorsia’s strategic priorities, as well as encouraging excellent performance and sharing the results that we achieve together. 

To support our people in achieving their full potential, we provide a range of internal and external learning and development programs. We emphasize results-oriented coaching, encourage internal mentorship, offer a variety of training programs, and fully support language learning. Idorsia also provides financial assistance to employees who wish to advance their education through an accredited university or business school. 

In 2022, we launched “Ambition 2027”, a one-time equity program to reward employees for what has been achieved since Idorsia’s inception in 2017 and to focus on creating long-term value together. Through the program, every permanent employee globally (excluding all members of the Idorsia Executive Committee), as well as new hires through 2023, receives a grant of restricted stock units (RSUs) that vest progressively over five years. They are also awarded an equivalent number of matching shares, underpinned with four ambitious strategic goals.  Depending on the number of objectives met by the end of 2027, participants can up to double their initial grant. With this unique plan, we aim not only to retain our talented employees worldwide, but also to share future successes with all. 

We have implemented a broad range of supporting policies, standard operating procedures and guidelines, such as our Code of Business Conduct, driving a culture of integrity. 

The Code of Business Conduct sets out fundamental rules for interacting with others as we drive our business forward. Supporting policies, standard operating procedures and guidelines provide more detail on how the code is to be applied in practice. All Idorsia employees have undergone mandatory training on the Code of Business Conduct, and the relevant employees are trained in the policies applicable to their role. 

Idorsia is proud to be part of the biopharmaceutical industry, living up to the expectations and meeting the requirements for companies operating in this highly regulated industry. We are a member of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA). Idorsia and EFPIA are fully committed to complying with the highest ethical standards under EFPIA and national codes. 

We aim to limit the environmental impact of our company so as to help ensure a safe and healthy environment for future generations. As part of the global community, we take our responsibility to curb the pace of climate change very seriously and are continuously working to find ways to build environmental sustainability into our operations. For instance, at headquarters we have transitioned to LED lighting wherever possible, which will significantly reduce our electricity consumption for office and laboratory lighting. Furthermore, we are always looking for innovative ways to reduce our emissions, and we have a formal agreement with the Swiss Federal Offices for the Environment and Energy to increase energy efficiency at our headquarters from 2016 to 2025. 

The agreement includes data management at building level, so that electricity, gas, woodchip and oil consumption can be processed on a monthly basis and excess consumption and anomalies can be investigated. The agreement also covers humidification, which is a key element of clinical laboratories’ HVAC systems. In order to improve efficiency, the humidification process takes place during certain hours of the day and is seasonally adapted to optimize efficiency and reduce energy consumption.