Sandoz facts for kids
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Formerly
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Sandoz GmbH |
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| Public (Aktiengesellschaft) | |
| Traded as |
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| ISIN | ISIN: [https://isin.toolforge.org/?language=en&isin=CH1243598427 CH1243598427] |
| Industry |
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| Predecessor | Ciba-Geigy |
| Founded | 1886 |
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| Headquarters | , |
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Key people
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| Revenue |  US$9.647 billion (2023) |
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Operating income
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 US$375 million (2023) |
| US$953 million (2023) |
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| Total assets | US$19.430 billion (2023) |
| Total equity | US$8.654 billion (2023) |
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Number of employees
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23,848 (2023) |
Sandoz Group AG is a company from Switzerland. It makes two main types of medicines: generic drugs and biosimilars. Generic drugs are copies of brand-name medicines that are no longer protected by patents. Biosimilars are very similar versions of complex biological medicines.
Before October 2023, Sandoz was a part of a bigger company called Novartis. Novartis brought all its generic medicine businesses together under the Sandoz name in 2003. Sandoz used to be an independent company until 1996. That year, it joined with another company, Ciba-Geigy, to form Novartis. Sandoz is now one of the top companies globally for generic medicines. Its main office is in Basel, Switzerland.
Contents
Sandoz History
Early Years: 1886 to 1995
Sandoz started in 1886 in Basel, Switzerland. It was founded by Alfred Kern and Edouard Sandoz. The company was first called Chemiefirma Kern und Sandoz. At the beginning, they made dyes, which are colors used for fabrics. Two of their first dyes were alizarin blue and auramine.
When Alfred Kern passed away, the company changed its name in 1895. It became Chemische Fabrik vormals Sandoz. This was also the year they started making medicines. Their first medicine, called antipyrine, helped reduce fevers. In 1899, they began producing saccharin, a sugar substitute.
In 1917, Sandoz started doing more research into medicines. They hired a scientist named Arthur Stoll. In 1929, they introduced Calcium Sandoz. This product helped start modern research into how calcium can be used in medicine.
Arthur Stoll also found a substance called ergotamine in 1918. This substance was later used to treat migraine headaches. It was sold as a medicine called Gynergen starting in 1921.
In 1939, the company changed its name again to Sandoz Ltd. It kept this name for almost 60 years.
Sandoz grew by buying other companies. In 1963, they bought Biochemie GmbH. This company made a special type of penicillin that was hard to find.
In 1967, Sandoz joined with Wander AG. This allowed them to start making dietetic products, which are foods and drinks for special diets. They started making popular products like Ovomaltine and Isostar.
Later, Sandoz bought other food companies. In 1972, they acquired Delmark. In 1982, they bought Wasabröd, a Swedish company known for crispbread.
In 1994, Sandoz bought Gerber Products Company. Gerber is famous for making baby food. This purchase also helped Sandoz expand its research into biopharmaceuticals, which are medicines made using living things.
In 1995, the part of Sandoz that made special chemicals became its own company. It was named Clariant and was based in Muttenz.
Part of Novartis: 1996 to 2023
On December 20, 1996, Sandoz joined with another big company called Ciba-Geigy. This merger created a new, even larger company named Novartis. After this, the Sandoz name was mostly used for over-the-counter medicines within Novartis.
In May 2003, the Sandoz name was brought back for all the generic medicine businesses of Novartis. They even started using the old Sandoz company logo again.
Novartis continued to grow its Sandoz division by buying more companies. In 2002, Sandoz acquired Lek Pharmaceuticals d.d., which was the largest medicine company in Slovenia. In 2003, they also bought a production plant in Spain.
In 2005, Sandoz acquired two more companies, Hexal AG and Eon Labs. By combining these companies, Sandoz became the second largest generic medicine group in the world. It was also the biggest in Germany. By 2008, Sandoz had sales of 7.6 billion US dollars and over 23,000 employees in 130 countries. From 2005, its main office was in Holzkirchen, Germany.
In 2006, a medicine called Omnitrope was approved. It was a recombinant human growth hormone. It was also the first biosimilar medicine to be approved in the United States.
In 2007, another complex biosimilar called Binocrit was approved in Europe.
Sandoz kept expanding its range of medicines. In 2009, it bought EBEWE Pharma's division that made special injectable generic medicines. In 2010, it acquired Oriel Therapeutics.
In 2012, Sandoz bought Fougera Pharmaceuticals. This helped them get into the business of generic skin medicines.
In November 2018, Novartis announced that Sandoz would become an independent company again. In June 2023, Sandoz said it would move its main office from Holzkirchen, Germany, back to Basel, Switzerland.
In July 2023, Sandoz launched a biosimilar version of a medicine called Humira. This new biosimilar was named Hyrimoz.
Independent Again: 2023 to Present
In September 2023, Novartis announced that its shareholders had approved the plan for Sandoz to become a separate company. This happened in October 2023. Novartis shareholders received one Sandoz share for every five Novartis shares they owned. Sandoz shares began trading on the SIX Swiss Exchange.
On October 4, 2023, Novartis officially completed the process. Sandoz became a stand-alone company once more.
In January 2024, Sandoz announced it would buy a biosimilar medicine for vision called Cimerli. This purchase was completed in March 2024.
In April 2024, Sandoz reached an agreement with another company, Amgen. This agreement resolved all disagreements about patents related to Sandoz's denosumab biosimilars in the US.
The 1986 Sandoz Warehouse Fire
On November 1, 1986, a large fire broke out at a Sandoz warehouse in Schweizerhalle, Switzerland. The warehouse contained about 1,350 tons of chemicals. The fire created thick smoke and a strong smell. Because of the unknown gases, people in nearby towns were warned with sirens. They were asked to stay indoors for several hours.
No one was seriously hurt by the fire, except for three people with asthma who needed hospital care. However, the water used to put out the fire carried harmful chemicals into the Rhine River. This caused many fish to die.
Later, it was found that another chemical company nearby had also released a herbicide into the Rhine River around the same time.
Official investigations suggested that the fire might have started from a hot air blower used incorrectly. However, no one was found guilty in court. The area where the fire happened now belongs to the company Clariant.
Even today, the landfill created after the fire still affects the groundwater in Muttenz. Novartis, as the company that took over Sandoz, and local environmental groups still watch it closely.
To remember the event, there is a special market table sculpture by Bettina Eichin in the cloister of Basel Munster.
See also
- Pharmaceutical industry in Switzerland
