Hoffmann-LA Roche Inc history

Roche launches the preparation under the trademark Digalen in 1904.

Discussions with Sahli and extensive studies done under Schaerges result in the analgesic Pantopon, which is launched in 1909.

By 1914 Roche has offices in Milan, New York, St Petersburg, and London, among others.

The German boycott of its products, Basel’s isolation from its plant in Grenzach, Germany, the loss of the company’s Russian market and assets in the revolution of 1917, and sizeable foreign exchange losses combine to create a financial crisis.

The following year, 1920, the company asked shareholders to double their subscriptions.

1921 sees the creation of the “Beamten- und Arbeiterpensionskasse Roche”, a pension fund for office and factory staff.

A PhD graduate in political economics she has worked at Roche Basel for about a year before accepting a post in Tokyo, where the company formed a subsidiary in 1925.

People of Roche Roche’s first woman executive Alice Keller, a 30-year-old native of Basel, boards ship to Japan in 1926.

In 1927 Guggenheim begins studying vitamin B1.

In 1928, Nutley, New Jersey had become the site of the company's United States headquarters; when war and possible Nazi invasion of Switzerland threatened, the company prepared to expand the Nutley site.

In the late 1930's his widow married Paul Sacher, founder and conductor of the Basle Chamber Orchestra.

Roche in Canada Our Canadian roots In 1931, Hoffmann-La Roche Limited is founded and incorporated in Montreal, Quebec, during the heart of the Great Depression.

Barell obtained a process for synthesizing vitamin C as early as 1933.

In 1934, it became the first company to mass-produce synthetic vitamin C, under the brand name Redoxon.

When she returns in 1939, Keller has risen to the senior executive ranks of Direktorin – a sensational achievement for the times.

Not only were assets transferred in the early 1940's; Emil Barell himself moved to Nutley until the end of the war.

Differences in their personalities and their approaches to business caused Bobst and Barell to disagree constantly, and, in 1944, Bobst resigned.

Roche enters the cosmetics sector In 1945 Roche establishes Pantene Corporation and affiliate cosmetic companies.

Tadeusz Reichstein (Nobel Prize winner 1950) offers Roche a workable method of synthesising vitamin C. A year later the first 50 kilograms of vitamin C are produced, marking the start of vitamin manufacturing at Roche.

Emil Barell died in 1953 at the age of 79.

In 1956, the first antidepressant, iproniazid, was accidentally created during an experiment while synthesizing isoniazid.

In 1957, it introduced the class of tranquilizers known as benzodiazepines (with Valium and Rohypnol being the best known members). It manufactures and sells several cancer drugs and is a leader in this field.

Librium was introduced in 1960.

First anti-cancer drug Roche introduces its first anti-cancer drug, Fluorouracil, in 1962.

1963: The company introduces Valium and it exceeds Librium in popularity.

Roche also acquires renowned French fragrance company Roure Bertrand Dupont in 1964.

Adolf Jann, head of Hoffmann-La Roche since Caflisch's death in 1965, vigorously defended the company's pricing policies.

Research institutes established internationally The Roche Institute of Molecular Biology opens in 1968 in Nutley.

Later successes included vitamins A and E. In 1971 the company enjoyed between 50 and 70 percent of the world market for vitamins, and production continued to grow.

In 1972, Roche Canada moves to the impressive Vaudreuil, Quebec, site comprised of a 12-story administration building with a superb auditorium, pharmaceutical and chemical buildings, a warehouse and a powerhouse capable of handling future expansion, all within a park-like setting.

In 1973, US$500 million of the US$1.2 billion volume at Roche was attributable to the sale of Valium and Librium.

Prix Galien The anti-Parkinson drug Madopar wins the Prix Galien (1974), a prize created in France to honour innovative and valuable advances in drug therapy.

1978: Fritz Gerber becomes chairman of the board.

By 1980, after years of litigation, Hoffmann-La Roche had emerged from the controversy virtually unscathed, having agreed to adhere thereafter to a system of voluntary price restraints.

In 1982, the United States arm of the company acquired Biomedical Reference Laboratories for US$163.5 million.

Niels Kaj Jerne, the first director of the Basel Institute of Immunology, is awarded the Nobel Prize for medicine (1984) for his seminal work in immunology.

Roferon-A, released on the market in June of 1986, is marketed as a treatment for rare forms of cancer.

By 1987 Rocephin outsells all other Roche products.

In 1989, the company transformed its businesses into true divisions, which began to operate like independent companies.

In a move that attracted widespread attention, Roche purchased a majority shareholding in California's leading biotech company, Genentech, Inc. in 1990.

Roche acquires the worldwide marketing rights to the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from Cetus Corporation in 1991.

It bought the patents for the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique in 1992.

Just three coaches long in 1994, it has developed into the 600-ton, 16-coach train that it is today.

1995: Fritz Gerber becomes chief executive officer.

In 1996 he played a major role in the founding of the Museum Tinguely by Roche.

Actelion profile and corporate video Actelion is a pharmaceuticals and biotechnology company established in December 1997, headquartered in Allschwil near Basel, Switzerland.

1998: Franz Humer becomes chief executive officer.

In 1999 he created the Fritz Gerber Foundation for Gifted Young People, which provides financial support for the education and training of young athletes, craftsmen and artists.

The spin off of Givaudan (formerly the Fragrances and Flavors division) in 2000 left Roche with three divisions: Pharmaceuticals, Diagnostics, and Vitamins and Fine Chemicals.

Other 2001 partnerships included those forged with the Mayo Clinic, Combinatrix Corporation, and Millenium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in the United States; deCODE genetics in Iceland; Prionics Inc. in Switzerland; and Innogenetics NV in Belgium.

The new enterprise – formed in 2002 by the merger of Nippon Roche and Chugai and named Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. – is the 5th largest pharmaceuticals company operating in Japan.

In 2003 employees launch the Roche Children’s Walk, a fundraiser for the growing number of HIV/AIDS orphans in Africa.

In 2004 Roche is the first global healthcare company to establish a research and development centre at the Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park in Shanghai, China.

On 20 October 2005 Hoffmann-La Roche decided to license other companies to manufacture Oseltamivir.

Personalised healthcare - 2007

On 22 January 2008 Roche acquired Ventana Medical Systems for $3.4 billion.

On 26 March 2009, Roche acquired Genentech for $46.8 billion.

Roche acquired Medingo Ltd. in April 2010 for $160 million and BioImagene, Inc. in August for $100 million.

In March 2011, Roche acquired PVT Probenverteiltechnik GmbH for up to €85 million.

The huge success of the project, which Roche has been supporting from the outset, prompted the decision to launch a second train, Phelophepa II, in 2012.

In May 2013 the foundation stone was laid for a 41-storey office tower in Basel.

In August 2014, the company agreed to purchase Californian-based pharmaceutical firm InterMune for $8.3 billion, at $74 a share this represents a 38% premium over the final share closing price, as well as Santaris Pharma A/S for $450 million.

In October 2015, the company acquired Adheron Therapeutics for $105 million (plus up to $475 million in milestone payments).

In January 2016, the company announced it would acquire Tensha Therapeutics for $115 million upfront, with $420 million in contingent payments.

In January 2017, the company acquired ForSight VISION4.

In February 2018, Roche announced it would acquire Flatiron Health, a business specialising in US cancer data analytics, for $1.9 billion.

In 2019, Roche invested CHF 11.7 billion in R&D and posted sales of CHF 61.5 billion.

May 11, 2020 08:10 ET | Source: F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd