COMPANYHISTORIES
SIC 2834

Pharmaceutical Preparations

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

136companies1843–2004founding years127still active9no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedFisons plc
1843
FoundedPZ Cussons plc
1879
FoundedBOC Group plc
1886
FoundedBristol-Myers Squibb Company
1900
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedAjinomoto Co., Inc.
1909
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedF. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.
1919
1928
TechnologyPenicillin is discovered, opening the age of antibiotics.
FoundedBaxter International Inc.
1931
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
FoundedFujisawa Pharmaceutical Company, Ltd.
1943
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedTapemark Company Inc.
1952
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
FoundedRoussel Uclaf
1961
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedTwinlab Corporation
1968
FoundedNature's Sunshine Products, Inc.
1972
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
FoundedBerlex Laboratories, Inc.
1979
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedAmersham PLC
1982
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedEnrich International, Inc.
1985
FoundedHoechst Celanese Corporation
1987
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
FoundedEon Labs, Inc.
1992
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
FoundedNovartis AG
1996
1997
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Fisons plc →
Active · founded 1843 · United Kingdom
In 1995 Fisons plc was acquired by Pennsylvania-based Rhone-Poulenc Rorer, Inc., in turn wholly owned by France's…
Bausch & Lomb Inc. →
Active · founded 1853
Bausch & Lomb Inc.
Nestlé S.A. →
Active · founded 1866 · Switzerland
Nestlé S.A.
Schering AG →
Active · founded 1871 · Germany
19702: The company gradually reenters the U.S.
Degussa-Hüls AG →
Active · founded 1873 · Germany
Degussa-Hüls AG is a specialty chemicals company based in Germany.
Henkel KGaA →
Active · founded 1876 · Germany
Based in Germany, Henkel KGaA is one of the world's largest chemical companies.
Chattem, Inc. →
Active · founded 1879
Chattem, Inc.
PZ Cussons plc →
Active · founded 1879 · United Kingdom
PZ Cussons plc is a leading manufacturer and distributor of a variety of products, especially soaps and other personal…
Carter-Wallace, Inc. →
Active · founded 1880
Carter-Wallace, Inc.
Eli Lilly and Company →
Active · founded 1881
Eli Lilly and Company discovers, develops, manufactures, and markets ethical drugs (those requiring a doctor's…
Beiersdorf AG →
Active · founded 1882 · Germany
Beiersdorf AG is an international company based in Hamburg, Germany, that develops, manufactures and distributes…
Mallinckrodt Group Inc. →
Active · founded 1882
Mallinckrodt Group Inc.
The Boots Company PLC →
Active · founded 1883 · United Kingdom
The Boots Company PLC is one of the leading retailers in the United Kingdom, in addition to being a major manufacturer…
Ciba-Geigy Ltd. →
Active · founded 1884 · Switzerland
Ciba-Geigy is the largest chemical company in Switzerland.
C.H. Boehringer Sohn →
Active · founded 1885 · Germany
C.H.
BOC Group plc →
Active · founded 1886 · England
BOC Group plc is one of the world's largest producers of industrial gases essential to almost every manufacturing…
Johnson & Johnson →
Active · founded 1887
One of America's most admired companies, Johnson & Johnson (J & J) is one of the largest healthcare firms in the world…
The Procter & Gamble Company →
Active · founded 1890
c.
Lion Corporation →
Active · founded 1891 · Japan
Lion Corporation is Japan's biggest seller of toothpastes and a major producer of other toiletries and consumer items…
Perrigo Company →
Active · founded 1892
Early 1980s:Perrigo family ownership ends with the sale of the company to management.
Rhône-Poulenc S.A. →
Active · founded 1895 · France
Rhône-Poulenc S.A.
Abbott Laboratories →
Active · founded 1900
Abbott Laboratories is one of the oldest and most successful pharmaceutical companies in the United States.
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company →
Active · founded 1900
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company is comprised of four core businesses: pharmaceuticals, consumer products, medical devices,…
Pfizer Inc. →
Active · founded 1900
Pfizer Inc.
DSM N.V. →
Active · founded 1902 · The Netherlands
DSM N.V.
Serono S.A. →
Defunct · founded 1906 · Switzerland
Over nearly a century of activity, Serono S.A.
American Cyanamid →
Active · founded 1907
When William Bell became president of American Cyanamid in 1922, he is reported to have said "even a fool could see…
Kirin Brewery Company, Limited →
Active · founded 1907 · Japan
Longtime leader of the Japanese beer market, Kirin Brewery Company, Limited in the early 2000s was overtaken by its…
Suntory Ltd. →
Active · founded 1907 · Japan
Suntory Ltd.
G. D. Searle & Co. →
Active · founded 1908
Skokie, Illinois-based G.D.
Ajinomoto Co., Inc. →
Active · founded 1909 · Japan
Ajinomoto Co., Inc., the world's first and still-largest producer of monosodium glutamate (MSG), is one of Japan's…
Fresenius AG →
Active · founded 1912 · Germany
Fresenius AG is a global, diversified manufacturer of health care products and provider of health care services with…
Sankyo Company, Ltd. →
Active · founded 1913 · Japan
As Japan's second largest pharmaceuticals company, Sankyo Company, Ltd.
Meiji Seika Kaisha Ltd. →
Active · founded 1916 · Japan
Founded in 1916 as a manufacturer of biscuits and caramels, Meiji Seika Kaisha Ltd.
Kikkoman Corporation →
Active · founded 1917 · Japan
Kikkoman Corporation is the world's largest and most famous producer of soy sauce.
Orion Oyj →
Active · founded 1917 · Finland
Orion Oyj is one Finland's leading pharmaceutical companies, marketing some 250 products in Finland and claiming about…
Teijin Limited →
Active · founded 1918 · Japan
Teijin Limited is one of the leading Japanese manufacturers of synthetic fibers, with fibers and textiles accounting…
F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. →
Active · founded 1919 · Switzerland
Founded in 1896 in Basel, Switzerland, F.
Shionogi & Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1919 · Japan
Shionogi & Co., Ltd., ranks among Japan's leading developers, producers, and exporters of pharmaceuticals.
Warner-Lambert Co. →
Active · founded 1920
The Warner-Lambert Co.
PLIVA d.d. →
Active · founded 1921 · Croatia
PLIVA d.d.
Total Fina Elf S.A. →
Active · founded 1924 · France
1954/55:Trademark "Total" is created and registered.
Takeda Chemical Industries, Ltd. →
Active · founded 1925 · Japan
Takeda Chemical Industries, Ltd.
Wyeth →
Defunct · founded 1926
Wyeth is a global pharmaceutical research and manufacturing company.
Merck & Co., Inc. →
Active · founded 1927
Merck & Co., Inc.
Baxter International Inc. →
Active · founded 1931
Baxter International Inc.
Monsanto Company →
Active · founded 1933
An agricultural and pharmaceutical stalwart, Monsanto Company is a leading producer of herbicides, prescription drugs,…
NOF Corporation →
Active · founded 1937 · Japan
NOF Corporation is Japan's leading oleochemicals group, producing a highly diversified range of products derived from…
Novo Nordisk A/S →
Active · founded 1940 · Denmark
Novo Nordisk A/S is one of the world's leading suppliers of insulin and industrial enzymes.
Nichirei Corporation →
Active · founded 1942 · Japan
Nichirei Corporation has developed a two-pronged leadership strategy in two core markets: processed foods, on the one…
Ube Industries, Ltd. →
Active · founded 1942 · Japan
Ube Industries, Ltd.
Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1943 · Japan
Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
Fujisawa Pharmaceutical Company, Ltd. →
Active · founded 1943 · Japan
1971: Cefazolin, a bacteria-fighting antibiotic, is launched.
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. →
Active · founded 1944 · Israel
With more than one-third of the nation's drug sales, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.
Allergan, Inc. →
Active · founded 1948
Allergan, Inc.
Combe Inc. →
Active · founded 1949
Combe Inc.
Kyowa Hakko Kogyo Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1949 · Japan
Kyowa Hakko Kogyo Co., Ltd.
Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation →
Active · founded 1950 · Japan
Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (MCC) was formed by the 1994 merger of Mitsubishi Kasei Corp.
Taro Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. →
Active · founded 1950 · Israel
Taro Pharmaceutical Industrials Ltd.
Bayer A.G. →
Active · founded 1952 · Germany
Bayer A.G., along with BASF and Hoechst, is heir to the German chemical cartel known as I.G.
Tapemark Company Inc. →
Active · founded 1952
Tapemark Company Inc.
CJ Corporation →
Active · founded 1953 · South Korea
South Korea's largest food manufacturer, CJ Corporation, is also one of the world's leading producers of such food…
Forest Laboratories, Inc. →
Active · founded 1956
Mid-1980s:[fsps*2.5]Company shifts focus from generics to licensed brand-name drugs.
Roche Bioscience →
Active · founded 1957
Roche Bioscience was formed in 1995 following the acquisition of Syntex Corp.
The Upjohn Company →
Active · founded 1958
Upjohn is one of the largest ethical drug manufacturers in the United States.
ICN Pharmaceuticals, Inc. →
Active · founded 1960
Late 1970s:[fsps*2.5]Ribavirin is developed by ICN.
Del Laboratories, Inc. →
Active · founded 1961
Del Laboratories, Inc.
Mylan Laboratories Inc. →
Active · founded 1961
Mylan Laboratories Inc.
Roussel Uclaf →
Active · founded 1961 · France
Roussel Uclaf is one of France's most important pharmaceutical companies and among the world's leading diversified…
Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd. →
Active · founded 1962 · India
Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd.
Marion Merrell Dow, Inc. →
Active · founded 1964
Marion Merrell Dow is the product of a 1989 merger between Marion Laboratories, once a prosperous pharmaceutical…
Medline Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1966
Based in Mundelein, Illinois, Medline Industries, Inc.
Montedison S.p.A. →
Defunct · founded 1966 · Italy
Montedison S.p.A.
Solvay S.A. →
Active · founded 1967 · Belgium
The wide ranging activities of the Belgium chemical firm Solvay S.A.
ALZA Corporation →
Active · founded 1968
As one of the world's leading producers of drug delivery systems, ALZA Corporation develops and manufactures a variety…
Twinlab Corporation →
Active · founded 1968
Twinlab Corporation manufactures and distributes several hundred different vitamin, mineral, and herbal supplements and…
Akzo Nobel N.V. →
Active · founded 1969 · Netherlands
The Dutch company Akzo Nobel N.V.
Elan Corporation PLC →
Active · founded 1969 · Ireland
Founded in a Dublin, Ireland garden shed, Elan Corporation PLC has grown into Ireland's leading pharmaceutical company…
Barr Pharmaceuticals, Inc. →
Active · founded 1970
A fast-growing generic drug company, Barr Pharmaceuticals, Inc., develops, manufactures, and markets generic and…
Block Drug Company, Inc. →
Defunct · founded 1970
Block Drug Company, Inc.
Tom's of Maine, Inc. →
Active · founded 1970
Tom's of Maine, Inc.
Akorn, Inc. →
Active · founded 1971
Akorn, Inc.
Glaxo Holdings PLC →
Active · founded 1972 · England
One of Britain's most esteemed companies, Glaxo Holdings PLC is one of the world's largest pharmaceutical entities,…
Nature's Sunshine Products, Inc. →
Active · founded 1972
A leading alternative health care company, Nature's Sunshine Products, Inc.
Leiner Health Products Inc. →
Active · founded 1973
Leiner Health Products Inc.
Alpharma Inc. →
Active · founded 1975
Alpharma Inc.
Nikken Global Inc. →
Active · founded 1975
Nikken Global Inc.
Genentech, Inc. →
Active · founded 1976
Genentech, Inc.
Farmacias Ahumada S.A. →
Active · founded 1977 · Chile
Farmacias Ahumada S.A.
Par Pharmaceutical Companies, Inc. →
Active · founded 1978
Par Pharmaceutical Companies, Inc., formerly Pharmaceutical Resources, Inc., develops, manufactures, and distributes a…
Berlex Laboratories, Inc. →
Active · founded 1979
Berlex Laboratories, Inc.
Amgen, Inc. →
Active · founded 1980
Amgen, Inc.
Zila, Inc. →
Active · founded 1980
Zila, Inc., based in Phoenix, Arizona, is a manufacturer and marketer of pharmaceutical, biomedical, dental, and…
Chiron Corporation →
Active · founded 1981
Chiron Corporation is a leading biotechnology company focusing on cancer, infectious diseases, and cardiovascular…
Genzyme Corporation →
Defunct · founded 1981
Genzyme Corporation is a leading biotechnology company that focuses on five business areas: therapeutics, diagnostic…
Immunex Corporation →
Active · founded 1981
Immunex Corporation is a biopharmaceutical company that develops, manufacturers, and markets therapeutic products for…
Jones Medical Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1981
Founded in 1981, Jones Medical Industries, Inc.
QLT Inc. →
Active · founded 1981 · Canada
QLT Inc.
Amersham PLC →
Active · founded 1982 · United Kingdom
Initially known as Amersham International PLC, Amersham PLC was formed in 1997 through the merger of Amersham…
Dynaction S.A. →
Active · founded 1982 · France
Once a model "mini-conglomerate," Dynaction S.A.
Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. →
Active · founded 1982 · India
Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.
Roberts Pharmaceutical Corporation →
Active · founded 1983
A small yet fast-growing pharmaceutical company, Roberts Pharmaceutical Corporation licenses or buys drugs that are…
Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd. →
Active · founded 1984 · India
Dr.
Nobel Industries AB →
Active · founded 1984 · Sweden
Nobel Industries AB is one of Europe's leading manufacturers of specialty industrial chemicals, paints, and adhesives.
Sepracor Inc. →
Active · founded 1984
Sepracor Inc.
Enrich International, Inc. →
Defunct · founded 1985
Enrich International, Inc.
IVAX Corporation →
Active · founded 1985
IVAX Corporation develops, manufactures, markets, and distributes branded and brand-equivalent (generic) drugs and…
Martek Biosciences Corporation →
Active · founded 1985
Martek Biosciences Corporation develops and sells products derived from the microalgae it grows.
Natural Alternatives International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1985
Natural Alternatives International, Inc.
Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc. →
Defunct · founded 1985
Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Celgene Corporation →
Active · founded 1986
Celgene Corporation is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and marketing therapies to treat leprosy,…
Hexal AG →
Active · founded 1986 · Germany
Hexal AG is Germany's second largest producer of generic drugs, and also claims the number four position in the…
Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. →
Active · founded 1987
Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Hoechst Celanese Corporation →
Active · founded 1987
A subsidiary of the enormous German chemical company Hoechst A.G., Hoechst Celanese Corporation manufactured and sold a…
Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated →
Active · founded 1987
Operating out of San Diego, California, Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated discovers, develops, and markets new drugs,…
Medicis Pharmaceutical Corporation →
Active · founded 1987
In fiscal 2000 Medicis moved to a new 50,000-square-foot headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Heska Corporation →
Active · founded 1988
The Heska Corporation is involved in biotechnical research for the development of vaccines and related diagnostic…
MedImmune, Inc. →
Active · founded 1988
MedImmune, Inc.
Sun Healthcare Group Inc. →
Active · founded 1989
Headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Sun Healthcare Group Inc.
Andrx Corporation →
Active · founded 1992
Andrx Corporation, operating out of Davie, Florida, is a pharmaceutical company that uses timed-release drug delivery…
Eon Labs, Inc. →
Active · founded 1992
Eon Labs, Inc.
USANA, Inc. →
Active · founded 1992
Although still a young company, USANA, Inc.
Connetics Corporation →
Active · founded 1993
Connetics Corporation develops and markets therapeutics for the dermatology market, selling two products, Luxiq and…
Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. →
Defunct · founded 1993
Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Caliper Life Sciences, Inc. →
Active · founded 1995
Caliper Life Sciences, Inc.
Pharmacia & Upjohn Inc. →
Active · founded 1995
An international manufacturer of pharmaceuticals formed through the 1995 merger of the Pharmacia A.B.
American Pharmaceutical Partners, Inc. →
Active · founded 1996
American Pharmaceutical Partners, Inc.
Kos Pharmaceuticals, Inc. →
Active · founded 1996
Kos Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Novartis AG →
Active · founded 1996 · Switzerland
Novartis AG was founded in 1996 with the merger of Ciba-Geigy Ltd.
Endo Pharmaceuticals Holdings Inc. →
Active · founded 1997
Endo Pharmaceuticals Holdings Inc.
Natrol, Inc. →
Active · founded 1997
Natrol, Inc.
Rhodia SA →
Active · founded 1998 · France
One of the world's leading specialty chemicals companies, Rhodia SA--the former chemicals and fibers & polymers units…
AstraZeneca PLC →
Active · founded 1999 · United Kingdom
AstraZeneca PLC is one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies.
Avecia Group PLC →
Active · founded 1999 · United Kingdom
Avecia Group PLC is in the process of redefining itself as a focused specialty and fine chemicals group.
SSL International plc →
Defunct · founded 1999 · United Kingdom
SSL International plc is one of the United Kingdom's major healthcare companies.
Hospira, Inc. →
Active · founded 2004
Mid-1970s:Abbott Laboratories enters the electronic flow control market with the introduction of its first electronic…
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