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UCB history
UCB company history timeline
UCB was founded on 18 January 1928 by Emmanuel Janssen, a Belgian businessman.
1930 First residence hall 1930 - First residence hall
× 1930 - First residence hall
Giannini Hall, completed in 1930. photo: Photo © UC Regents
Edwards Stadium, completed in 1932. photo: Photo © UC Regents
A donation made by Walter A. Haas, Jr. allows for a renovation of the facility, previously Harmon Gymnasium built in 1933. photo: Photo © UC Regents
In 1939, Lawrence becomes UC Berkeley’s first Nobel laureate.
Photo © UC Regents Edwin McMillan discovered the element neptunium in 1940.
Donner Laboratory, completed in 1942. photo: Photo © UC Regents
× 1944 - Bovine growth hormone
Lewis Hall, completed in 1948. photo: Photo © UC Regents
1952 UC system restructure The UC system is restructured, creating chancellor positions for the campuses at Los Angeles and Berkeley.
Dwinelle Hall, completed in 1952. photo: Photo © UC Regents
Established a pharmaceutical research center in 1952 and soon made a string of breakthroughs, including the discovery of one of the world’s first tranquilizers, Atarax® (hydroxysine), a non-benzodiapenic tranqulizer.
Alumni House, completed in 1954. photo: Photo © UC Regents
By the time he left office in 1958, the University of California had 8 campuses and worldwide recognition for its academic excellence.
Hertz Hall, completed in 1958. photo: Photo © UC Regents
The first biotechnology company, Cetus, is founded by Donald Glaser, winner of the 1960 Nobel Prize in Physics.
McCone Hall, completed in 1961. photo: Photo © UC Regents
He joined the Berkeley faculty in 1963 as dean of the College of Environmental Design.
Latimer Hall, completed in 1963. photo: Photo © UC Regents
Koshland Hall, completed in 1965. photo: Photo © UC Regents
Zellerbach Hall, completed in 1968. photo: Photo © UC Regents
The College, which had operated from nine city and suburban schools, came under one roof in 1968 when the Duke of Edinburgh opened a new £1.5 million building on Summer Row.
He explored this idea in a landmark 1970 study on the role of asymmetric information in the market for “lemon” used cars.
× 1971 - Human pituitary growth hormone
Evans Hall, completed in 1971. photo: Photo © UC Regents
Launched Nootropil® (piracetam) in 1972 for the treatment of memory and balance disorders providing the resources to create a new state-of-the-art pharmaceutical R&D centre in Braine-l Alleud, Belgium.
In 1977, Joy releases Berkeley UNIX under the Berkeley Software Distribution moniker, and encourages a world of hackers to improve it.
1978 - First black woman granted tenure, Barbara Christian
Clark Kerr Campus, opens as residence hall in 1986. photo: Photo © UC Regents
Genetics and Plant Biology Building, completed in 1990. photo: Photo © UC Regents
Tang Center, home of University Health Services, completed in 1993. photo: Photo © UC Regents
Soda Hall, completed in 1994. photo: Photo © UC Regents
Haas School of Business and Cheit Hall, completed in 1995. photo: Photo © UC Regents
Actelion profile and corporate video Actelion is a pharmaceuticals and biotechnology company established in December 1997, headquartered in Allschwil near Basel, Switzerland.
Richmond House in Newhall Street was acquired as part of the institution’s expansion and opened as a dedicated centre for further education in 2001.
Seismic retrofitting, renovation and construction of the annex is completed in 2002. photo: Photo © UC Regents
The films part was then sold to Innovia Films in September 2004.
2004 – Transformation into a pure biopharma
× 2006 - First certified organic college dining hall
The hall is built to house the Blum Center for Developing Economies, established in 2006. photo: Photo © UC Regents
2006 – First filing of biologic and a major acquisition
THEMIS, launched in 2007, becomes the fourth satellite to be managed from Berkeley.
Stanley Hall, completed in 2007. photo: Photo © UC Regents
In 2008, UCB established a multi-year collaboration with Beryllium, a developer of treatments for immune and CNS disorders.
Over 203 000 patients – almost doubled compared to 2009 – treated with UCB’s new core products in over 27 countries across the globe Pipeline strengthened and moving ahead with seven Phase 3 projects and six Phase 2 projects ongoing in CNS and immunology
A renovation of the building begins in 2010 as part of an overhaul of Lower Sproul Plaza. photo: Photo © UC Regents
Student organizer Jean Quan, who in 2011 would become mayor of Oakland, teaches the first class on Asian women.
Photo by Elena Zhukova, © UC Regents Saul Perlmutter won the 2011 Nobel for leading a team that discovered the accelerating expansion of the universe, and implied the existence of a mysterious dark energy that makes up 75 percent of the universe.
2011 – Marked by execution and delivery of growth of the core medicines
A complete renovation and seismic retrofitting of California Memorial Stadium is completed in 2012. photo: Photo © UC Regents
2013 – Start of new era
In November 2014, UCB announced its intention to sell of its generics subsidiary (Kremers Urban Pharmaceuticals) for more than $1.5 billion to two private equity firms.
2014 First competitive college athletic team for blind students
× 2014 - First competitive college athletic team for blind students
The building is moved to the Botanical Garden in 2014 and renamed Julia Morgan Hall. photo: Photo © UC Regents
A rebuilt Campbell Hall is dedicated in February 2015.
Jacobs Hall opens its doors in August 2015.
The Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive will move to a new location on the west side of campus in 2016. photo: Photo © UC Regents
Photo © UC Regents Carol Tecla Christ begins her term as the 11th chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley on July 1, 2017.
On April 2, 2020, UCB announced that the acquisition has been successfully completed.
In January 2022, the company announced it would acquire Zogenix for $1.9 billion ($26 per share).
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| Company name | Founded date | Revenue | Employee size | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Janssen | 1953 | $601.4M | 1,500 | 3 |
| Pharmacia | 1901 | $130.0M | 350 | - |
| Xanodyne Pharmaceuticals | 2000 | $18.8M | 100 | - |
| Santarus | 1996 | $218.0M | 290 | - |
| Daiichi Sankyo | 2005 | $9.0B | 15,348 | 40 |
| Sanofi US | 1973 | $980.0M | 110,000 | 750 |
| Top Rx | 1987 | $1.3M | 50 | 31 |
| Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc | 1997 | $2.6B | 385 | 105 |
| Organon | - | $6.4B | 158 | 132 |
| Shire Pharmaceuticals Inc | 2004 | $15.2B | 3,500 | - |
UCB history FAQs
Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of UCB, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about UCB. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at UCB. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by UCB. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of UCB and its employees or that of Zippia.
UCB may also be known as or be related to UCB, Ucb and Ucb, Inc.