Jazz's big band sound

A 2008 decision to concentrate on its commercial business has paid off for Jazz Pharmaceuticals Inc. The company has quadrupled its revenues, reduced its debt and increased its number of marketed drugs tenfold with two recent acquisitions. Jazz now plans to use that track record to woo specialty pharmas with R&D stage assets.

Jazz was formed in 2003 to in-license or acquire assets close to market. By 2008, the company had a pipeline of Phase II and Phase III programs, but financial constraints and clinical setbacks caused it to essentially shut down development to focus on growing the revenues of narcolepsy drug Xyrem sodium oxybate...