Joseph Fuisz

Last updated
Joseph Fuisz
Born
Joseph M. Fuisz
NationalityAmerican
Alma mater Yale University
Columbia Law School
OccupationFounder of Fuisz Pharma LLC
Known for Patents, Inventor on over 40 of MonoSol Rx's thin film patents, [1] Inventor of Suboxone [2]
SpouseHelena Robinson
Parent(s) Richard Fuisz and Patricia Fuisz
Website fuisz.com

Joseph Fuisz is an American attorney, inventor, and entrepreneur of Slovenian descent. He works predominantly in the pharmaceutical industry as the founder of Fuisz Pharma LLC. As of October 2015, he is named on 32 medical patents, [3] [4] and over forty patents. [5]

Contents

He has been involved in the development of drug delivery and the approval of new drugs and low emission tobacco products. [6] [7] Joseph Fuisz is a named inventor of the formulation of the drug, Suboxone. [2] The sales of Suboxone in 2013 were reported to be $1.2 billion in the United States. [8]

Early life and education

Joseph Fuisz is the son of Richard Fuisz and Patricia Fuisz. He graduated from Yale University and Columbia Law School. [9]

Career

Joseph Fuisz began his career in law, after graduating from Columbia University Law School. He passed the New York Bar exam and began practising law at Sullivan & Cromwell. [10] He subsequently moved into medical patents, a field his father Richard Fuisz had worked in for a number of years.

In 2000, Joseph Fuisz and Richard Fuisz founded International Fluidics, which was rebranded as Kosmos Pharma Limited two years later.[ citation needed ] Richard began as the more senior figure in the company, before the sale of the company in 2004. The rebranding came at a time when the company filed a number of patents that successfully allow highly sensitive proteins to be taken orally. [11] One example of this came in 2002, the company successfully developed stamp-size medicine strips that could dissolve quickly in a patient's mouth. [12]

Kosmos Pharma Limited was acquired by MonoSol LLC in 2004, with Joseph Fuisz becoming MonoSol's Senior Vice President. [13] Joseph Fuisz eventually moved back to Fuisz LLC, concentrating on drug delivery patents. [14]

Joseph Fuisz is also a named inventor in the Orange Book for the drug, Suboxone. [15] It is a formulation of the Buprenorphine and is used for the treatment of opioid addiction in higher dosages, and to control pain lower doses, with dosage depending on the severity. [16] The drug is also used for the treatment of heroin addiction, and since 2014 has been valued at over $1 billion in sales annually by its provider, Indivior. [17]

MonoSol Rx announced they had acquired a patent from Joseph Fuisz in 2012. The patent was related to drug delivery and the use of film single layer multifunctional films. The medical patent provides for a non-uniform distribution of components. [18] The thickness direction of a layer of biocompatible film, which allows for a multifunctional film to be used in a traditional single layer. [19]

While working in the medical drug delivery market, Joseph Fuisz founded Fuisz Tobacco, which was a subsidiary of Fuisz Inc. [20] [21]

He became the Managing Director of the company in 2008. [22] Fuisz Tobacco developed a dissolving tobacco film strip. Joseph Fuisz claimed improved nicotine absorption from tobacco in this format. [23] The patent for this system is assigned to Philip Morris International. [24]

Joseph Fuisz's next major advancement in tobacco came in September 2013, when he patented a delivery mechanism that used a coating. The coating, allowed for an increase in the local pH within the body, which led to maximised nicotine absorption. [22]

Joseph Fuisz has developed new tablet shapes that allow for improved esophageal transit. [15] The US Patent Office issued a patent for this work in 2015. [25]

In 2014, Joseph Fuisz and a blood-testing patent he filed were involved in a dispute with another medical research company. [26] Theranos accused Joseph Fuisz and his father Richard Fuisz of stealing documents of a patent they were to file. A parallel case against McDermott, Will & Emery was dismissed by a judge in late 2014, stating there was no evidence of theft. [27] [28]

Joseph Fuisz represented himself pro se in the Theranos case. The litigation story between Fuisz and Theranos and David Boies is discussed at length in the book Bad Blood by John Carreyrou. In Bad Blood, author John Carreyrou concludes there was no evidence of theft by the Fuiszes. [29]

Fuisz discussed this litigation with various media outlets, including ABC’s podcast series, The Drop Out. [30] Fuisz also provided an interview with TRT World in which he describes his role together with Richard Fuisz in exposing the Theranos fraud, [31] [32] as well as an interview with John Carreyrou for Bad Blood the Final Chapter Archived 2021-10-01 at the Wayback Machine

In recent years, Fuisz has obtained new drug delivery patents related to new methods of manufacturing thin films for Thin-film drug delivery. [33]

In 2020, Joseph Fuisz announced a new venture, Nova thin Films, based on patents obtained by Richard Fuisz and Joseph Fuisz to make pharmaceutical films by deposit. [34]

Joseph Fuisz recently announced the issuance of patents related to heat not burn tobacco compositions. [35] Mr. Fuisz received two patents relating to heat-not-burn heating systems in August, 2021 [ permanent dead link ‍].

As of 2020, Mr. Fuisz is a named inventor on approximately forty US patents. [5]

Personal life

Joseph Fuisz married his wife Helena Robinson in 2006. [9]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Boies</span> American lawyer

David Boies is an American lawyer and chairman of the law firm Boies Schiller Flexner LLP. Boies rose to national prominence for three major cases: leading the U.S. federal government's successful prosecution of Microsoft in United States v. Microsoft Corp., his unsuccessful representation of Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore in Bush v. Gore, and for successful representation of the plaintiff in Hollingsworth v. Perry, which invalidated California Proposition 8 banning same-sex marriage. Boies has also represented various clients in U.S. lawsuits, including Theranos, tobacco companies, Harvey Weinstein, and Jeffrey Epstein's victims including Virginia Roberts Giuffre.

An epinephrine autoinjector is a medical device for injecting a measured dose or doses of epinephrine (adrenaline) by means of autoinjector technology. It is most often used for the treatment of anaphylaxis. The first epinephrine autoinjector was brought to market in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cipla</span> Indian multinational pharmaceutical company

Cipla Limited is an Indian multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Mumbai. Cipla primarily focuses on developing medication to treat respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, arthritis, diabetes, depression, paediatric and various other medical conditions. Cipla has 47 manufacturing locations across the world and sells its products in 86 countries. It is the third-largest drug producer in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicotine replacement therapy</span> Treatment for tobacco use disorder

Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is a medically approved way to treat people with tobacco use disorder by taking nicotine through means other than tobacco. It is used to help with quitting smoking or stopping chewing tobacco. It increases the chance of quitting tobacco smoking by about 55%. Often it is used along with other behavioral techniques. NRT has also been used to treat ulcerative colitis. Types of NRT include the adhesive patch, chewing gum, lozenges, nose spray, and inhaler. The use of multiple types of NRT at a time may increase effectiveness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zydis</span>

Zydis is a technology used to manufacture orally disintegrating tablets developed by R.P. Scherer Corporation. Zydis tablets dissolve in the mouth within 3 seconds.

The pharmaceutical industry in India was valued at an estimated US$42 billion in 2021 and is estimated to reach $130 billion by 2030. India is the world's largest provider of generic medicines by volume, with a 20% share of total global pharmaceutical exports. It is also the largest vaccine supplier in the world by volume, accounting for more than 60% of all vaccines manufactured in the world. Indian pharmaceutical products are exported to various regulated markets including the US, UK, European Union and Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Varenicline</span> Nicotinic receptor agonist

Varenicline, sold under the brand names Chantix and Champix among others, is a medication used for smoking cessation and for the treatment of dry eye syndrome. It is a nicotinic acetylcholine receptor partial agonist. When activated, this receptor releases dopamine in the nucleus accumbens, the brain's reward center, thereby reducing cravings and withdrawal symptoms with smoking cessation, although less pronounced than a full agonist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electronic cigarette</span> Device that vaporizes a liquid nicotine solution for inhalation

An electronic cigarette (e-cigarette), commonly called as vape, is a device that simulates tobacco smoking. It consists of an atomizer, a power source such as a battery, and a container such as a cartridge or tank. Instead of smoke, the user inhales vapor. As such, using an e-cigarette is often called "vaping". The atomizer is a heating element that vaporizes a liquid solution called e-liquid, which quickly cools into an aerosol of tiny droplets, vapor and air. The vapor mainly comprises propylene glycol and/or glycerin, usually with nicotine and flavoring. Its exact composition varies, and depends on several things including user behavior.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Fuisz</span> American physician, inventor, and entrepreneur

Richard Carl Fuisz is an American physician, inventor, and entrepreneur, with connections to the United States military and intelligence community. He holds more than two hundred patents worldwide, in such diverse fields as drug delivery, interactive media, and cryptography, and has lectured on these topics internationally. Fuisz is a member of the Board of Regents of Georgetown University, where he and his brother created an annual scholarship honoring their deceased elder sibling, and established the first endowed professorship at the Georgetown University School of Medicine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AbbVie</span> American pharmaceutical company

AbbVie Inc. is an American pharmaceutical company headquartered in North Chicago, Illinois. It is ranked sixth on the list of largest biomedical companies by revenue. In 2023, the company's seat in Forbes Global 2000 was 74, and rank 89 on the 2024 list. The company's primary product is Humira (adalimumab), administered via injection. It is approved to treat autoimmune diseases including rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease, plaque psoriasis, and ulcerative colitis.

Jazz Pharmaceuticals plc is a global biopharmaceutical company with a focus on oncology and neuroscience. It was founded in 2003 in California, United States. One of the company's considerable products is the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved drug Xyrem, the sodium salt of the naturally occurring neurotransmitter γ-Hydroxybutyric acid (GHB). In 2017, net product sales of Xyrem were $1.187 billion, which represented 74% of the company's total net product sales. In 2019, Jazz was granted FDA-approval to market Sunosi with indications for treating excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) in narcolepsy as well as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). In 2022, it was announced that Axsome Therapeutics would be acquiring Sunosi from Jazz Pharmaceuticals.

Theranos Inc. was an American privately held corporation that was touted as a breakthrough health technology company. Founded in 2003 by then 19-year-old Elizabeth Holmes, Theranos raised more than US$700 million from venture capitalists and private investors, resulting in a $10 billion valuation at its peak in 2013 and 2014. The company claimed that it had devised blood tests that required very small amounts of blood and that could be performed rapidly and accurately, all using compact automated devices that the company had developed. These claims were proven to be false.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth Holmes</span> American businesswoman (born 1984)

Elizabeth Anne Holmes is an American biotechnology entrepreneur who was convicted of fraud in connection with her blood-testing company, Theranos. The company's valuation soared after it claimed to have revolutionized blood testing by developing methods that needed only very small volumes of blood, such as from a fingerprick. In 2015, Forbes had named Holmes the youngest and wealthiest self-made female billionaire in the United States on the basis of a $9-billion valuation of her company. In the following year, as revelations of fraud about Theranos's claims began to surface, Forbes revised its estimate of Holmes's net worth to zero, and Fortune named her in its feature article on "The World's 19 Most Disappointing Leaders".

Indivior is a specialty pharmaceuticals business. Established as a division of Reckitt Benckiser in 1994 and demerged from that company in December 2014, the company has been fined for false marketing claims about the safety of its drug, Suboxone. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and on the NASDAQ Global Select Market.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Carreyrou</span> American journalist and author

John Carreyrou is a French-American investigative reporter at The New York Times. Carreyrou worked for The Wall Street Journal for 20 years between 1999 and 2019 and has been based in Brussels, Paris, and New York City. He won the Pulitzer Prize twice and helped expose the fraudulent practices of the multibillion-dollar blood-testing company Theranos in a series of articles published in The Wall Street Journal.

<i>Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup</i> 2018 book by John Carreyrou

Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup is a nonfiction book by journalist John Carreyrou, released May 21, 2018. It covers the rise and fall of Theranos, the multibillion-dollar biotech startup headed by Elizabeth Holmes. The book received critical acclaim, winning the 2018 Financial Times and McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian Gibbons (biochemist)</span> British biochemist (1946-2013)

Ian Gibbons was a British biochemist and molecular biology researcher who served as the chief scientist of the US company Theranos, which was founded by Elizabeth Holmes. For more than 30 years, Gibbons performed research in medical therapeutics and diagnostic testing prior to joining Theranos in 2005. He attempted to raise issues with Theranos' management about the inaccuracy of their testing devices.

<i>The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley</i> 2019 American documentary film

The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley is a 2019 American documentary film, directed and produced by Alex Gibney. The film revolves around Elizabeth Holmes and her former company Theranos. It is considered a companion piece to the book, Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup.

<i>The Dropout</i> 2022 American drama television miniseries

The Dropout is an American biographical drama television miniseries that dramatizes the rise and fall of the disgraced biotechnology company Theranos and its founder, Elizabeth Holmes, played by Amanda Seyfried. It features an ensemble supporting cast, including Naveen Andrews, Elizabeth Marvel, William H. Macy, Stephen Fry, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Bill Irwin, Utkarsh Ambudkar, LisaGay Hamilton, Michael Ironside, Laurie Metcalf, Anne Archer, and Sam Waterston. Created by Elizabeth Meriwether, the series is based on the podcast of the same name hosted by Rebecca Jarvis and produced by ABC News.

Channing Rex Robertson is a professor emeritus of chemical engineering at Stanford University. He held multiple significant roles at startup Theranos, founded by his student Elizabeth Holmes. Robertson took on major responsibilities at the company prior to its collapse, including becoming its first board member, engaging with venture capitalists, and recruiting biochemist Ian Gibbons. He retired from Stanford in 2012, becoming professor emeritus. Theranos named him the co-leader of their technology advisory board in 2017. He was called as a witness in United States v. Elizabeth A. Holmes, et al., which convicted Holmes and partner Sunny Balwani of criminal fraud. During his time working for Holmes, Robertson was paid US$500,000 per year by Theranos. Since his active role in the Theranos scandal, he went back to teach one course at Stanford.

References

  1. ↑ "Fuisz Announces Formation of Fuisz Tobacco; Company to Commercialize Film- Based Smokeless Tobacco Products". PR News Wire. Archived from the original on 2022-05-18. Retrieved 2015-09-07.
  2. 1 2 "Generic Suboxone Availability". Drugs.com. Archived from the original on 2018-08-28. Retrieved 2018-01-23.
  3. ↑ "Patents by Inventor Joseph M. Fuisz". Justia Patents. Archived from the original on 2015-10-29. Retrieved 2015-09-07.
  4. ↑ "Joseph M Fuisz". Patents buddy. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-09-07.
  5. 1 2 "As of 2020, Mr. Fuisz is a named inventor on approximately forty US patents". patft.uspto.gov.[ permanent dead link ]
  6. ↑ "Fuisz Announces Formation of Fuisz Tobacco; Company to Commercialize Film- Based Smokeless Tobacco Products". PR News Wire. January 2015. Archived from the original on 2022-05-18. Retrieved 2015-09-07.
  7. ↑ "Enhanced Delivery of Nicotine, THC, Tobacco, Cannabidiol or Base Alkaloid from an Electronic Cigarette or Other Vapor Producing Device Through Use of an Absorption Conditioning Unit". Google Patents. Archived from the original on 2015-02-23. Retrieved 2015-09-07.
  8. ↑ "So You Thought You Could Get Off Suboxone?". PR News Wire. Archived from the original on 2015-09-08. Retrieved 2015-09-07.
  9. 1 2 "Helena Robinson and Joseph Fuisz wed". NY Times. January 22, 2006. Archived from the original on April 7, 2015. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  10. ↑ "Pro Se Patentees to Fight David Boies in San Jose Trial". Law.com. March 12, 2014. Archived from the original on March 18, 2014. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
  11. ↑ Hirani, Jaysukh J; Rathod, Dhaval A (April 2009). "Orally Disintegrating Tablets: A Review". Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research. 8 (2). doi: 10.4314/tjpr.v8i2.44525 . hdl: 1807/60374 .
  12. ↑ McCarthy, Ellen (September 16, 2002). "Kosmos Pharma Develops a Dose of Convenience". Washington Post . Archived from the original on March 14, 2016. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  13. ↑ "MonoSol LLC and Kosmos Pharma Form MonoSolRX LLC to Commercialize Oral Film Strip Pharmaceutical Products". Pharmaceutical Processing. March 2, 2004. Archived from the original on February 27, 2014. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
  14. ↑ MacDonald, Gareth (January 24, 2013). "Can't Swallow Esophageal Transit Failure? Fuisz says New Pill Design Can Help". In-PharmaTechnologist. Archived from the original on May 26, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
  15. 1 2 "Subutex and Suboxone Questions and Answers". FDA. Archived from the original on 2015-10-10. Retrieved 2022-05-18.
  16. ↑ "Buprenorphine". Martindale: The Complete Drug Reference. London, UK: Pharmaceutical Press. 14 January 2014. Archived from the original on 28 August 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  17. ↑ Stanton, Dan (February 12, 2014). "Suboxone sales down as opioid addiction market Intensifies". In-Pharmatechnologist. Archived from the original on October 2, 2015. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
  18. ↑ MacDonald, Gareth (April 7, 2011). "Fuisz develops Easier to Swallow Dosage Form". In-PharmaTechnologist. Archived from the original on May 18, 2022. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
  19. ↑ "MonoSol Rx Acquires U.S. Patent for Multifunctional Single Layer Film Drug Delivery Technology". MonoSol Rx. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2015-09-09.
  20. ↑ "2012 Global Tobacco Networking Forum". Tobacco Reporter. Archived from the original on 2016-02-02. Retrieved 2015-09-09.
  21. ↑ "Fuisz Announces Formation of Fuisz Tobacco; Company to Commercialize Film". PR Newswire. January 15, 2012. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved September 7, 2015.
  22. 1 2 "Fuisz Tobacco Announces Issuance of Patent for Improved Nicotine Delivery from a Tobacco Pouch". Market Watch. September 23, 2013. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-09-09.
  23. ↑ "Fuisz Tobacco Announces Clinical Study Results for Fuisz Tobacco Sheet Strip; Super Enhanced Bioavailability of Nicotine From Its Tobacco Sheet Strip Supports Efficacy of Low Dose Tobacco Product". PR Newswire. May 20, 2013. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
  24. ↑ "Extrudable and extruded compositions for delivery of bioactive agents, method of making same and method of using same". Google Patents. Archived from the original on 2016-04-30. Retrieved 2015-09-09.
  25. ↑ "Solid dosage form that promotes reliable oral, esophageal and GI transit". US Patent Office. Archived from the original on 2019-03-17. Retrieved 2022-05-18.
  26. ↑ Wolfe, Jan (September 24, 2013). "Judge OKs Ex-McDermott Client's Suit Over Alleged IP Theft". The Recorder. Archived from the original on May 18, 2022. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
  27. ↑ Cassens Weiss, Debra (March 14, 2014). "Patent theft suit blames former McDermott partner; defense sees 'smoke and mirrors'". ABA Journal. Archived from the original on September 27, 2015. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
  28. ↑ Tillman, Zoe (August 5, 2013). "Malpractice Suit Against McDermott Dismissed". Legal Times. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
  29. ↑ Carreyrou, John (21 May 2018). Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup. ISBN   9781524731663. Archived from the original on 18 May 2022. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  30. ↑ "The Dropout". abcradio.com. Archived from the original on 2022-03-30. Retrieved 2022-05-18.
  31. ↑ "BAD BET! How Theranos' investors lost big and never got it back!". trtworld.com. Archived from the original on 2022-03-25. Retrieved 2022-05-18.
  32. ↑ Elizabeth Holmes 'trial of the decade' begins - "Theranos was a cult!!", archived from the original on 2021-10-12, retrieved 2021-10-13
  33. ↑ "Fuisz Pharma LLC Announces Allowance of Additional Patent Claims for its New Film by Deposit Technology Platform". globenewswire.com. 8 October 2018. Archived from the original on 25 March 2022. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  34. ↑ "In 2020, Joseph Fuisz announced a new venture, Nova thin Films, based on patents obtained by Richard Fuisz and Joseph Fuisz to make pharmaceutical films by deposit". globenewswire.com. 1 June 2020. Archived from the original on 5 December 2020. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  35. ↑ "Joseph Fuisz recently announced the issuance of patents related to heat not burn tobacco compositions". globenewswire.com. 6 April 2020. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.