Turing Pharmaceuticals
A pharmaceutical company formerly known as Turing Pharmaceuticals, best known for its Daraprim pricing controversy and subsequent antitrust litigation.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Turing Pharmaceuticals was an American pharmaceutical company founded in 2012 by Martin Shkreli. Although the business was incorporated in Zug, Switzerland, it operated in the United States from offices in New York City. The company was named after British mathematician and computer scientist Alan Turing and initially pursued a portfolio of specialty and orphan-drug assets, including an oxytocin nasal formulation, an intranasal ketamine product, and Vecamyl, a treatment for hypertension. The company later became known as Vyera Pharmaceuticals, beginning operations under that name in the United States in September 2017, and was also associated with the name Phoenixus. Turing's public profile changed dramatically in 2015 when it acquired U.S. marketing rights to Daraprim, the brand name for pyrimethamine. Daraprim had been available since 1953 and was used, in combination with a sulfonamide, to treat toxoplasmosis, including infections affecting people with HIV/AIDS. In September 2015, Turing raised the price of a Daraprim tablet from $13.50 to $750, an increase of more than fifty times. The decision triggered condemnation from patients' advocates, public officials, journalists, investors, and parts of the pharmaceutical industry. The controversy made Shkreli a symbol of aggressive specialty-drug pricing and brought intense scrutiny to the company’s commercial model. Turing said it would use revenue from Daraprim to support patient-access programs and research into improved treatments for toxoplasmosis. It subsequently announced affordability measures and reduced the price paid by hospitals by as much as half of the elevated rate. Critics nevertheless argued that the revised arrangements did not restore the medicine’s former affordability or availability. The company’s public reputation and market valuation suffered, with contemporary reporting describing an approximately 10 percent decline in the company’s stock price following the pricing decision, although Turing was not a conventional publicly listed operating company. Shkreli resigned as chief executive on December 18, 2015, after his arrest on charges related to defrauding investors in a former hedge fund. Kevin Mulleady later became a senior executive associated with the company. Under the Vyera name, the company continued to market Daraprim and Vecamyl while pursuing a development pipeline. Pipeline programs described by the company included Syntocinon, an oxytocin nasal product; TUR-002, an intranasal racemic ketamine formulation intended for suicidality; TUR-004, a candidate for seizures associated with severe epilepsy disorders; and additional programs aimed at glycogen-storage disorders, developmental disorders, leukodystrophy, toxoplasmosis, epileptic encephalopathy, and congenital metabolic disorders. In January 2020, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission brought an antitrust case against Vyera and related parties, alleging that the company had used an elaborate scheme to preserve a monopoly around Daraprim and obstruct generic competition. A settlement announced in December 2021 required Vyera and Phoenixus to provide up to $40 million in consumer relief over ten years and to make Daraprim available to potential generic competitors at the cost of producing the drug. Mulleady agreed to restrictions on working for or owning a substantial interest in many pharmaceutical companies. Vyera filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on May 10, 2023. The company is therefore treated as defunct as an operating brand, while Daraprim and Vecamyl remain the principal products historically associated with the business.
History
Turing Pharmaceuticals was launched in February 2012 by Martin Shkreli. Its initial portfolio came from three assets acquired from Retrophin, an orphan-drug company: an intranasal ketamine formulation, an oxytocin nasal solution, and Vecamyl. This asset-acquisition strategy placed the company in the specialty-pharmaceutical segment, where a relatively small portfolio could support research, regulatory work, and commercialization for narrowly defined patient populations. One of the transferred products was Syntocinon, also identified as TUR-001. Syntocinon is an oxytocin nasal solution originally introduced by Sandoz in the 1950s. The product had received U.S. approval in 1960 for assisting postpartum milk ejection, but it was discontinued by the successor company Novartis in 1997 after poor sales. Retrophin licensed it from Novartis in 2013, and Turing planned to return it to the market while investigating additional applications, including schizophrenia and autism. The company described plans for a Phase III program in lactation. Turing also developed TUR-002, an intranasal formulation of racemic ketamine intended for the treatment of suicidality. Another development program, TUR-004, targeted seizures associated with severe epilepsy disorders. Turing filed an Investigational New Drug application for TUR-004 in October 2015, received Fast Track designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and began a Phase I clinical trial in November 2015 for epileptic encephalopathies. Other listed pipeline programs included TRP-001 for glycogen-storage disorders, TRP-002 for developmental disorders, TRP-003 for leukodystrophy, TRP-004 for toxoplasmosis, TRP-005 for epileptic encephalopathy, and TRP-011 for congenital metabolic disorders. The company’s defining commercial event occurred in August 2015, when it obtained U.S. marketing rights to Daraprim from Impax Laboratories. Daraprim is pyrimethamine, a medicine used with a sulfonamide to treat toxoplasmosis. In September 2015, Turing changed the price from $13.50 to $750 per tablet. The increase generated broad public and political backlash because toxoplasmosis can be a serious or life-threatening infection, particularly for immunocompromised patients. Turing defended the increase as a way to fund patient support and pharmaceutical development, but the response became one of the most prominent drug-pricing controversies of the decade. Turing announced access programs and later reduced hospital pricing by up to 50 percent from the elevated level. Congressional scrutiny continued, and critics maintained that Daraprim remained substantially less affordable than before the acquisition. The controversy also damaged the company’s reputation and was accompanied by a reported decline in its stock price. Shkreli resigned as chief executive on December 18, 2015, after his arrest on charges of defrauding investors in connection with a former hedge fund. The business subsequently operated under the Vyera Pharmaceuticals name in the United States beginning in September 2017. Its marketed portfolio remained centered on Daraprim and Vecamyl, while its pipeline programs represented attempts to expand beyond the controversial toxoplasmosis product. The company later faced federal antitrust litigation. In January 2020, the FTC alleged that Vyera and associated parties had engaged in an elaborate scheme to protect Daraprim’s monopoly and restrict generic competition. The case ended in a December 2021 settlement involving consumer relief of up to $40 million over ten years, a commitment to make Daraprim available to potential generic competitors at the cost of production, and restrictions on Kevin Mulleady’s future participation in much of the pharmaceutical industry. Vyera filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on May 10, 2023. That filing marked the end of the company’s operation as an independent pharmaceutical business under the Vyera/Turing corporate identity. Its history is associated with both specialty-drug development and an unusually consequential dispute over the pricing, distribution, and competitive access of an established medicine.
- 2023
Vyera files for Chapter 11
[1]The company files for bankruptcy protection on May 10.
- 2021
Antitrust settlement is reached
[1]Vyera and Phoenixus agree to consumer-relief and generic-access provisions in December.
- 2020
FTC brings Daraprim antitrust case
[1]The Federal Trade Commission sues Vyera and related parties over alleged efforts to preserve a monopoly and impede generic competition.
- 2017
U.S. operations adopt the Vyera name
[1]The company begins doing business in the United States as Vyera Pharmaceuticals in September.
- 2015
Turing acquires U.S. Daraprim rights
[1]Turing acquires U.S. marketing rights to Daraprim from Impax Laboratories in August.
- 2015
Daraprim price is increased
[1]The company raises the price of Daraprim from $13.50 to $750 per tablet in September, prompting widespread criticism.
- 2015
TUR-004 enters early clinical development
[1]TUR-004 receives FDA Fast Track designation after an Investigational New Drug filing, and a Phase I trial begins in November.
- 2015
Shkreli leaves the chief executive role
[1]Martin Shkreli resigns as CEO on December 18 after his arrest on investor-fraud charges.
- 2013
Retrophin licenses Syntocinon
[1]Retrophin licenses the discontinued oxytocin nasal product from Novartis, establishing the asset that later becomes Turing’s TUR-001 program.
- 2012
Turing Pharmaceuticals is launched
[1]Martin Shkreli launches Turing Pharmaceuticals and transfers three pharmaceutical assets from Retrophin into the new company.
Products and positioning
Specialty and orphan-drug pharmaceutical development and commercialization, with a focus on acquiring and developing medicines for serious, rare, or underserved conditions.
Prescription anti-infective · 1953
Daraprim
Daraprim is the brand name for pyrimethamine, an established medicine used in combination with a sulfonamide to treat toxoplasmosis. The product has been available since 1953 and became Turing’s principal marketed asset after the company acquired U.S. marketing rights in 2015. Its price increase from $13.50 to $750 per tablet made it the center of a major drug-pricing controversy and later federal antitrust litigation.
Prescription antihypertensive
Vecamyl
Vecamyl is a formulation of mecamylamine hydrochloride indicated for the treatment of hypertension. It was one of the assets transferred into Turing Pharmaceuticals at launch and remained one of the company’s two principal marketed products under the later Vyera identity.
Oxytocin nasal solution · 1956
Syntocinon (TUR-001)
Syntocinon, also called TUR-001, is an oxytocin nasal solution originally used to assist postpartum milk ejection. After the product was discontinued by Novartis, it was licensed through Retrophin and became part of Turing’s development portfolio. Turing planned a Phase III program in lactation and considered additional indications including schizophrenia and autism.
Intranasal ketamine formulation
TUR-002
TUR-002 was an intranasal formulation of racemic ketamine under development for the treatment of suicidality. It represented one of Turing’s efforts to build a proprietary pipeline beyond its marketed medicines.
Neurology drug candidate · 2015
TUR-004
TUR-004 was a development candidate for seizures associated with severe epilepsy disorders, including epileptic encephalopathies. Turing filed an Investigational New Drug application in October 2015, received FDA Fast Track designation, and began a Phase I clinical trial in November 2015.
Rare-disease drug candidate
TRP-001
TRP-001 was listed among Turing’s pipeline programs for glycogen-storage disorders. The available reference material does not provide sufficient information about its formulation, clinical stage, or subsequent development.
Developmental-disorder drug candidate
TRP-002
TRP-002 was identified as a pipeline program for a developmental disorder. No further reliable product or clinical details are provided in the available reference material.
Neurological drug candidate
TRP-003
TRP-003 was identified as a development program for leukodystrophy. The available reference does not specify its molecule, clinical status, or outcome.
Anti-infective drug candidate
TRP-004
TRP-004 was listed as a candidate for toxoplasmosis, the same disease area associated with Daraprim. No additional development information is available in the supplied sources.
Neurology drug candidate
TRP-005
TRP-005 was listed among the company’s pipeline programs for epileptic encephalopathy. Its specific mechanism, formulation, and development status are not detailed in the available material.
Metabolic-disease drug candidate
TRP-011
TRP-011 was identified as a pipeline candidate for a congenital metabolic disorder. The supplied reference does not provide further information about its clinical development.
Controversies
2020
Alleged anticompetitive conduct involving Daraprim
The FTC alleged that Vyera and associated parties used anticompetitive practices to maintain Daraprim’s monopoly and prevent generic competition. The matter was resolved through a settlement in 2021.
2015
Daraprim price increase
Turing increased Daraprim’s price from $13.50 to $750 per tablet after acquiring U.S. marketing rights. The decision prompted widespread criticism because the medicine was used to treat potentially serious toxoplasmosis infections.
Brand decisions
2023
File for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protectionOtherBackground
Vyera’s business had continued under the rebranded corporate identity after the Daraprim controversy and antitrust settlement.
Action taken
Vyera filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on May 10, 2023.
Aftermath
The filing marked the end of the company’s operation as an independent pharmaceutical business under the Turing/Vyera identity.
2021
Settle federal Daraprim antitrust caseOtherBackground
The FTC alleged that Vyera, Phoenixus, and associated individuals had acted to preserve a monopoly and restrict generic competition.
Action taken
The settlement required up to $40 million in consumer relief over ten years, required access for potential generic competitors at the cost of production, and imposed industry restrictions on Kevin Mulleady.
Aftermath
The settlement concluded the federal case while leaving the company’s Daraprim pricing history as a defining part of its public record.
Potential consumer relief. Up to $40 million (Over 10 years from the 2021 settlement)
2017
Rebrand U.S. operations as Vyera PharmaceuticalsStrategyBackground
The company had become strongly associated with the Daraprim controversy and the departure of Martin Shkreli.
Action taken
The business began operating in the United States under the Vyera Pharmaceuticals name in September 2017.
Aftermath
Vyera continued commercializing Daraprim and Vecamyl and later became the defendant in federal antitrust litigation concerning Daraprim.
2015
Increase Daraprim pricing after acquiring U.S. rightsPrice changeBackground
Turing acquired U.S. marketing rights to an established toxoplasmosis medicine whose tablet price had been $13.50.
Action taken
The company raised the price to $750 per tablet in September 2015.
Aftermath
The decision generated extensive criticism, congressional scrutiny, reputational damage, and later antitrust litigation. The company subsequently announced access measures and reduced hospital pricing by as much as half of the elevated rate.
2015
Expand Daraprim access and fund further developmentStrategyBackground
The Daraprim price decision led to criticism that the medicine had become unaffordable and difficult to obtain.
Action taken
Turing announced patient-affordability and access initiatives and said revenue would support new toxoplasmosis treatments and research.
Aftermath
The measures did not end criticism, and congressional investigators later argued that Daraprim remained prohibitively expensive compared with its earlier position.
Sources1 sources
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