When Somnus Therapeutics was started up in Bedminster, NJ, in 2007, its founders had an unusual business model. They planned to develop just one drug—SKP-1041 for insomnia—through Phase 2 clinical trials, and then sell the company to a deep-pocketed investor that would fund the final pivotal Phase 3 trials required for FDA approval. Ask CEO and co-founder Gary Cupit if the company has a pipeline of drugs behind SKP-1041, in case the master plan fails, and he’ll give you a frank answer. “Nope,” he says. “It’s one shot. All or none.”
