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• Author: Sakowski, Gerald

In July 1975, two pharmacy professors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill founded Carolina Medical Products Co. James Olsen and Henry Smith had a vision to build a pharmaceutical manufacturing company focused on developing and commercializing niche oral liquid and semi-solid topical products for unmet patient needs.

In 1982, Carolina Medical introduced the first ready-to-use liquid suspension of sodium polystyrene sulfonate for the treatment of hyperkalemia, or elevated potassium levels in the blood. Carolina Medical's innovative product known in the industry as SPS provided a much more patient-friendly treatment over the powder alternative. Today our company is still the market leader for the treatment of hyperkalemia.

In addition to topical ointments for various forms of dermatitis and skin disorders, in 1986, Carolina Medical introduced a liquid isoniazid for the treatment of tuberculosis. A liquid treatment was desperately needed, particularly for children. Up until that time, only tablets were available, which had to be fractioned for age and weight appropriate dosing. Carolina Medical's isoniazid is still the only liquid treatment for tuberculosis available in the U.S.

Carolina Medical was acquired in 2012 by Altaris Capital Partners, a private equity firm from New York which focuses on accelerating growth and building value in healthcare companies. Smith, the sole owner at the time of the sale, stays active with the company as a board director.

While CMP Pharma has new ownership and a new name, we are carrying on Smith and Olsen's original vision of developing and commercializing niche products for unmet patient needs.

In August of 2017, we received approval...