Optimer Pharmaceuticals
| Company type | Publicly traded |
|---|---|
| Formerly Nasdaq: OPTR | |
| Industry | Pharmaceutical industry |
| Founded | 1998 in San Diego, California |
| Founder | Michael N. Chang Tessie M. Che |
| Defunct | 2013 |
| Fate | Acquired after poor results |
| Successor | Cubist Pharmaceuticals |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people |
|
| Products | Antibacterial drug, Dificid |
Number of employees | 281 (2013) |
| Website | www |
Optimer Pharmaceuticals Inc was an American biopharmaceutical company, originally headquartered in San Diego, California, and later moved to Jersey City, New Jersey, United States.
The company focused on developing specialty drugs to treat gastrointestinal infections and related diseases. In 2011, with Dr. Sherwood Gorbach as Chief Scientific Officer, it received regulatory approval for the first antibacterial drug, Dificid, in 25 years approved to treat certain types of diarrhea (i.e., Clostridioides difficile induced diarrhea) in adults.
But sales of the drug Dificid failed to meet expectations and the drug faced strong competition from cheaper generic alternatives. After declining revenue, the company was acquired in 2013 by Cubist Pharmaceuticals and it operations in New Jersey closed down.