To contribute to improving people’s health through effective specialty pharmaceuticals.
Vision
To position specialty pharmaceuticals in the competitive global healthcare market.
History
Newport Pharmaceuticals was founded in 1968 in Newport Beach, California, United States, with the vision of becoming an innovative company within the pharmaceutical sector. From its earliest years of operation, the company invested over $200 million, focusing its efforts primarily on the research and development of new products, with a special emphasis on the immunology field, which laid the foundation for its future international expansion.
In 1969, Newport achieved a major milestone by patenting Isoprinosine in the United States, subsequently initiating a systematic process of patenting and marketing the product worldwide. From this early stage, the company adopted a global vision, establishing strategic subsidiaries in San José, Costa Rica, and Dublin, Ireland, which allowed it to strengthen its operational capacity and its presence in various international markets.
In 1994, the company sold its operations to Merck. Until that time, the company had been listed on NASDAQ.
In 1996, the management team of the Costa Rican subsidiary acquired MERCK’s operations in the Americas and Asia, giving rise to Newport Pharmaceuticals International. This transition marked a new phase for the company, characterized by strengthened regional management and a strategy focused on international expansion and the consolidation of its core products.
Beginning in 2000, the Sucre Pharmacy Chain began its expansion, significantly increasing its market presence. Three years later, as part of a vertical integration strategy, the distributor COFASC was acquired.
The Sucre Pharmacy Chain (No. 2 in the market) and the COFASC distributor (No. 4 in the market) merged with the GFI distributor (No. 2 in the country). Newport retained 50% of the equity capital of the resulting business.
The institutional business was launched in Costa Rica. A year later, the International Symposium on the Use of Isoprinosine in the Treatment of Human Papillomavirus was held. A new study involving 5,650 patients, conducted at Moscow State Medical University in Russia, was presented.
The shares in the joint venture with GFI were sold, and a period of international consolidation and business diversification began.
Over the years, the company has deepened its commitment to innovation and the expansion of its therapeutic lines, adapting to the changing needs of the markets in which it operates. By 2026, Newport Pharmaceuticals International has continued this expansion strategy, strengthening its product portfolio by developing new formulations, introducing additional therapeutic solutions, and exploring emerging market segments, in line with its mission to bring wellness and quality pharmaceutical solutions to a growing number of patients.