Sandoz Group AG is a Swiss company that focuses on generic pharmaceuticals and biosimilars.[4] Prior to October 2023, it was part of a division of Novartis that was established in 2003, when Novartis united all of its generics businesses under the name Sandoz. Before this, the company existed as an independent pharmaceutical manufacturer until 1996, when it was merged with Ciba-Geigy to form Novartis. Prior to the merger, it specialized in medicines used in organ transplants, such as Sandimmune, and various antipsychotics and migraine medicines. Its headquarters were in Holzkirchen, Germany and after the spin-off from Novartis, the headquarters moved to Basel, Switzerland. Sandoz is one of the leading global generics businesses.[5][6]
The company was founded in 1886 by Alfred Kern (1850–1893) and Edouard Sandoz (1853–1928) in Basel (Switzerland) under the name Chemiefirma Kern und Sandoz. Initially the company focused on production of dyes namely alizarin blue and auramine. When Kern died, the company changed its name to Chemische Fabrik vormals Sandoz in 1895 and began producing pharmaceuticals for the first time the same year. As early as 1895, the first pharmaceutical substance called antipyrine was produced to reduce fever. In 1899 they started producing saccharin.[7]
In 1917, Sandoz entered pharmaceutical research when Arthur Stoll (1887–1971) was hired, and, in 1929, Calcium Sandoz was introduced, laying the foundation research into modern calcium therapy.[8][9]
In 1918, Arthur Stoll isolated ergotamine from ergot; the substance was eventually used to treat migraine and headaches and was introduced under the trade name Gynergen in 1921.[10]
In 1938 Albert Hofmann produced the synthetic substance lysergic acid diethylamide, better known as LSD. The psychoactive properties of this preparation were nevertheless not discovered until 1943, when Hofmann ingested a small amount by accident.[11][12] From 1947 to the mid-60s, LSD was sold by Sandoz under the name Delysid .[13] It was marketed as a treatment for a wide variety of mental ailments, ranging from alcoholism to sexual deviancy. Sandoz suggested in its marketing literature that psychiatrists take LSD themselves,[14] to gain a better subjective understanding of the schizophrenic experience, and many did exactly that and so did other scientific researchers. The Sandoz product received mass publicity as early as 1954, in a Time magazine feature.[15] Research on LSD peaked in the 1950s and early 1960s. The CIA purchased quantities of LSD from Sandoz for use in its illegal human experimentation program known as MKUltra.[16] Sandoz withdrew the drug from the market in 1965. The drug became a cultural novelty of the 1960s after psychologist Timothy Leary at Harvard University began to promote its use for recreational and spiritual experiences among the general public.[17]
In 1939, Kern & Sandoz became Sandoz Ltd., a name it operated under for nearly sixty years.[18]
In 1963, Sandoz acquired Biochemie GmbH, which was producing and supplying scarce, urgently needed acid-resistant penicillin.[19]
In 1972, Sandoz acquired Delmark, Wasabröd, Wasa, the Swedish crisp bread producer Wasa in 1982.[21]
In 1986, Velsicol Chemical Corporation acquired the agrochemicals division of Sandoz.[22]
In 1994, Sandoz bought Gerber Products Company, expanding its research into biopharmacueticals.[23][24]
In 1995, the specialty chemicals division became an independent company under the name Clariant, based in Muttenz.[25][26][27]
1996–2023: Merger with Ciba-Geigy and developments under Novartis
On December 20, 1996, the merger of Sandoz and Ciba-Geigy led to the creation of Novartis. The Sandoz brand name was then only used in the pharmaceutical business for over-the-counter medicines.[28][5]
The former company name Sandoz was reactivated in May 2003 with the merger of the globally differently named generics companies of the parent company Novartis under the uniform brand name Sandoz.[19] In addition to the name, the company logo used before the merger was also adopted.[19]
In 2002, Sandoz acquired Lek Pharmaceuticals d.d., Slovenia's largest pharmaceutical company.[29]
In 2003, Novartis united its global generics businesses under a single global brand, reestablishing the name Sandoz as a division of Novartis.[19] The Amifarma S.L. production plant in Palafolls, located near Barcelona, Spain was also acquired.[19]
In February 2005, Sandoz acquired over Hexal AG and Eon Labs. The integration into Sandoz created the second largest generics group in the world and the largest on the German market with annual sales of 7.6 billion US dollars (2008) and over 23,000 employees in 130 countries. The headquarters have been in Holzkirchen since 2005. Sandoz's Swiss administrative headquarters are in Rotkreuz ZG in the municipality of Risch in the canton of Zug.[30]
In 2007, the first complex biosimilar, Binocrit was approved in the EU.[32]
In 2009, Sandoz acquired EBEWE Pharma's specialty generic injectables division and in 2010, acquired Oriel Therapeutics.[33][34]
In 2012, Sandoz acquired Fougera Pharmaceuticals, entering the generic (topical) dermatology business.[35]
In November 2018, it was announced that Novartis would convert Sandoz into an independent entity over the next two years.[36] In March 2019, it was announced that CEO Richard Francis had resigned for personal reasons and that Francesco Balestrieri, Sandoz's European head, had taken over management ad interim.[37][38] Richard Saynor was appointed as CEO later in 2019.[38]
In August 2022, Novartis said the spin-off of Sandoz into a standalone company would be completed by the end of 2023.[39] As part of the spin-off, Sandoz announced in June 2023 it would move its headquarters from Holzkirchen, Germany to Basel, Switzerland.[40]
In September 2023, Novartis announced that the spin-off had been approved by its shareholders and that it would be completed by the next month, resulting in Novartis shareholders receiving one Sandoz share for every five Novartis shares.[42][43] Sandoz was listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange with a market capitalization between $18billion and $25bn.[44][43]
On October 4, 2023, Novartis completed the spin-off of Sandoz as a stand-alone company.[45]
In January 2024, Sandoz announced it would acquire biosimilar drug for vision Cimerli For $170 million from Coherus BioSciences.[46] The acquisition was completed in March 2024.[47]
In February 2024, Sandoz US and its subsidiary Fougera Pharmaceuticals Inc. - indirect subsidiaries of Sandoz Group AG reached a USD 265 million settlement agreement in the US related to a generics direct purchaser class action lawsuit.[48]
In April 2024, Sandoz reached an agreement with Amgen to resolve all patent disputes between the two companies relating to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved Sandoz denosumab biosimilars.[49]
On November 1, 1986, a major fire broke out in a warehouse containing 1,350 tonnes (2,980,000lb) of chemicals in what was then Sandoz in Schweizerhalle. The thick smoke, the stench and the unknown composition of the combustion gases caused the authorities in the neighboring communities to alert the population early in the morning with a general siren alarm and a curfew of several hours was imposed. No people suffered acute harm, with the exception of three people with pre-existing asthma who required hospitalization. However, the toxins found their way into the Rhine via the extinguishing water, where they caused a large number of fish to die off.[50]
On November 11, 1986, the analysis of water samples proved that at the same time as the Rhine was being polluted by the contaminated extinguishing water from the Sandoz area, 400kg of atrazine , a herbicide, had been discharged into the Rhine from the neighboring chemical company Ciba-Geigy.[51][52]
The official investigation report came to the conclusion (only "on the basis of theoretical considerations") that when pallets were packed with Prussian blue, incorrect handling of a hot air blower led to a hot spot, which could be the cause. Subsequent trials, however, resulted in no conviction. The plant now belongs to Clariant.[53]
To this day, the landfill left after the fire continues to pollute the groundwater in Muttenz and is actively monitored by Novartis, as the legal successor to Sandoz, and the environmental authorities of the Canton of Basel-Landschaft.[54][55]
To commemorate the spill, there is a plastic market table by Bettina Eichin in the cloister of Basel Munster.[56]
Literature
Ernst Brandl: Zur Entdeckungsgeschichte des PenicillinV in Kundl (Tirol). In: Veröffentlichungen des Tiroler Landesmuseums Ferdinandeum. Band 71, Innsbruck 1991, S. 5–16 (Geschichte der Bio Chemie in Kundl, zobodat.at).
Novartis AG is a Swiss multinational pharmaceutical corporation based in Basel, Switzerland. Consistently ranked in the global top five, Novartis is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world and was the fourth largest by revenue in 2022.
A generic drug is a pharmaceutical drug that contains the same chemical substance as a drug that was originally protected by chemical patents. Generic drugs are allowed for sale after the patents on the original drugs expire. Because the active chemical substance is the same, the medical profile of generics is equivalent in performance compared to their performance at the time when they were patented drugs. A generic drug has the same active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) as the original, but it may differ in some characteristics such as the manufacturing process, formulation, excipients, color, taste, and packaging.
Ciba was a chemical company based in and near Basel, Switzerland. "Ciba" stood for "Chemische Industrie Basel" and was formed when the non-pharmaceuticals elements of Novartis were spun out in 1997, following the merger in the previous year of Ciba-Geigy and Sandoz that created Novartis.
Biocon Limited is an Indian biopharmaceutical company based in Bangalore. It was founded by Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw in 1978. The company manufactures generic active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) that are sold in approximately 120 countries, including the United States and Europe. It also manufactures novel biologics as well as biosimilar insulins and antibodies, which are sold in India as branded formulations. Biocon's biosimilar products are also sold in both bulk and formulation forms in several emerging markets.
Wasabröd is a Swedish producer of Scandinavian style crispbread. The Wasabröd company has been in business since 1919, opening its first bakery in the city of Skellefteå. Since 1983 it has been under foreign ownership, first by the Swiss pharmaceutical corporation Sandoz, and from 1999 by the Italian food producer Barilla Alimentare S.p.A.
Alcon Inc. is a Swiss-American pharmaceutical and medical device company specializing in eye care products. It has a paper headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland but its operational headquarters are in Fort Worth, Texas, United States, where it employs about 4,500 people.
Clariant AG is a Swiss multinational speciality chemical company, formed in 1995 as a spin-off from Sandoz. Headquartered in Muttenz, Switzerland, the public company encompasses 74 subsidiaries in 36 countries (2022). Major manufacturing sites are located in Europe, North America, South America, China, and India. In 2022, sales from continuing operations were 5.198 billion CHF.
Daniel Lucius Vasella is a Swiss medical doctor, author, and executive who was CEO and chairman of the Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis AG, the world's fifth largest drug company. During his tenure Novartis shares fell 10%, compared to the industry average. In February 2013 Vasella was awarded close to $78 million in a "golden handshake"
Ciba or CIBA may refer to:
Hospira was an American global pharmaceutical and medical device company with headquarters in Lake Forest, Illinois. It had approximately 19,000 employees. Before its acquisition by Pfizer, Hospira was the world's largest producer of generic injectable pharmaceuticals, manufacturing generic acute-care and oncology injectables, as well as integrated infusion therapy and medication management systems. Hospira's products are used by hospitals and alternate site providers, such as clinics, home healthcare providers and long-term care facilities. It was formerly the hospital products division of Abbott Laboratories. On September 3, 2015, Hospira was acquired by Pfizer, who subsequently sold off the medical devices portion of Hospira to ICU Medical.
Organon & Co. is an American pharmaceutical company headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey. Organon specializes in the following core therapeutic fields: reproductive medicine, contraception, psychiatry, hormone replacement therapy (HRT), and anesthesia. Organon produces all its products outside of the United States but gets a third of its revenue from the United States. Organon & Co. is an example of increasing women's representation on Wall Street with over 50% of its board of directors and executive leadership being female.
The Novartis Foundation is a non-profit organization and part of the corporate responsibility portfolio of Novartis in Basel, Switzerland. The foundation conducts projects to improve health, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa and in south-east Asia.
Air Wick is an American brand of air freshener owned by the British multinational company Reckitt. It was launched by creator Guy Paschal in 1943 in the United States, and is now sold worldwide.
The Clayton Aniline Company Ltd. was a British manufacturer of dyestuffs, founded in 1876 by Charles Dreyfus in Clayton, Manchester.
Arthur Stoll was a Swiss biochemist.
The pharmaceutical industry in Switzerland directly and indirectly employs about 135,000 people. It contributes 5.7% of the gross domestic product of Switzerland and 30% of the country's exports. In 2017 about 30% of Swiss exports were chemical products. In the same year Switzerland was the second largest exporter of packaged medicine in the world, with about 11% of the global total, worth $36.5 billion.
Ceritinib is a prescription-only drug used for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). It was developed by Novartis and received FDA approval for use in April 2014.
Jörg Reinhardt has been Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Swiss pharmaceutical group Novartis AG since 2013. Since 2017, he has also been a member of the Board of Directors of the Swiss reinsurance group Swiss Re.
Martin Burckhardt, born on 5 March 1921 in Basel and died on 6 February 2007 in the same city, was a Swiss architect and politician, member of the Liberal Democratic Party. He was a member of the National Council from 1987 to 1991.
↑ Anna Bálint: Clariant clareant. Die Anfänge eines Spezialitätenchemiekonzerns. Campus Verlag, Frankfurt am Main/New York 2011, ISBN 978-3-593-39375-9.
↑ Anna Bálint: Clariant clareant. The beginnings of a specialty chemicals company. Campus Verlag, Frankfurt am Main/New York 2012, ISBN 978-3-593-39374-2.
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US$9.647 billion (2023) [1] 
US$375 million (2023) [1] 
