With a pair of new athletic partnerships under its belt, Vanda Pharmaceuticals is suiting up as a multisport player.
Already this year, the Washington, D.C.-based drugmaker signed on as a jersey patch partner of the Washington Mystics WNBA team and a presenting sponsor of the George Washington University men’s basketball season. Vanda is now further building out its athletic presence with two team-ups that were both announced Wednesday.
One will see the company lacing up as the first pharma to serve as a jersey patch partner for a National Hockey League team, as Vanda’s logo is set to appear on the New York Islanders’ home and away uniforms beginning with their regular-season opening game on Thursday in Pittsburgh.
In addition to serving as the Islanders’ exclusive patch sponsor, Vanda’s branding will appear on the team’s social media and signage at its home UBS Arena. Vanda will also join in on various fan initiatives throughout the hockey season, including content collaborations, a community program and a sweepstakes contest where fans can enter to win a Vanda-branded Islanders jersey.
The collaboration is aimed at engaging fans and elevating both the Vanda and Islanders brands, Adam Cross, the team’s senior VP of corporate partnerships, said in the announcement, while Vanda CEO Mihael Polymeropoulos, M.D., added, “Vanda’s commitment to health, happiness and excellence is closely aligned with that of the New York Islanders organization and we look forward to an exciting season ahead.”
The other newly inked deal drafts Vanda as a founding partner of Monumental Sports & Entertainment’s (MSE’s) project to upgrade Washington, D.C.’s Capital One Arena, home to the Washington Wizards pro basketball team and Washington Capitals NHL team.
The agreement makes Vanda the named partner of the Monumental Sports Network studio, which will henceforth be known as the Vanda Pharmaceuticals Studio. That partnership will embed Vanda’s branding across all coverage of the MSE-owned sports teams, which include the Wizards, Capitals and Mystics.
Beyond the studio sponsorship, Vanda will also be featured both onsite at the MSE teams’ games and in their broadcast coverage, as well as throughout the Capital One Arena both during and after its current renovation project.
“As Vanda Pharmaceuticals is a Washington, D.C. headquartered company, we are honored to become an integral part of the ‘Sports Capital’ and help lead the exciting transformation of the sports and entertainment district in downtown Washington,” Polymeropoulos said in a statement. “This alliance with Monumental is a shared vision to promote growth and opportunity in the nation’s capital, fostering innovation and community through sports, media and shared experiences that bring people together.”