Roussel Uclaf

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
Jump to: navigation, search
Roussel-Uclaf S.A.
Public (Société anonyme)
Industry Pharmaceutical
Fate Acquired
Successor Hoechst AG (Hoechst Marion Roussel)
Founded Paris, France (1911 (1911))
Institut de Sérothérapie Hémopoïétique
ISH (1920)
Usines Chimiques des Laboratoires Français
UCLAF (1928)
Société Française de la Pénicilline
SOFRAPEN (1947)
(Roussel-Uclaf, S.A. incorporated 1961)
Founder Gaston Roussel
Defunct September 30, 1997 (September 30, 1997)[1]
Headquarters Paris, France (1911–1995)
Romainville, France (1995–1997)[2]
Area served
 Worldwide
Key people
 Gaston Roussel (CEO, 1911–1947)
Jean-Claude Roussel (CEO, 1961–1972)
Jacques Machizaud (CEO, 1974–1981)
Édouard Sakiz (CEO, 1981–1993)
Ernst-Günter Afting (CEO, 1994–1995)
Jean-Pierre Godard (CEO, 1995–1997)
Products Hemostyl (erythropoietin, horse serum)
Rubiazol (carboxysulfamidochrysoidine)
Rythmodan (disopyramide)
Decis (deltamethrin)
Surgam (tiaprofenic acid)
Claforan (cefotaxime sodium)
Mifegyne (mifepristone, RU-486)
Anandron (nilutamide)
Revenue Increase US$ 3.01 billion (1996)[3]
Increase US$ 340 million(1996)[3]
Number of employees
 15,673 worldwide (1992)[4]
  8,409 in France (1992)[4]
  6,533 in France (1996)[5]

Roussel Uclaf S.A. was a French pharmaceutical company and one of several predecessor companies of today's Sanofi.

It was the second largest French pharmaceutical company[6] before it was acquired by Hoechst AG of Frankfurt, Germany in 1997, with pharmaceutical operations combined into the Hoechst Marion Roussel (HMR) division in the United States. Roussel Uclaf's agrochemical operations had been transferred to Hoechst Schering AgrEvo GmbH in 1994.

HMR subsequently merged in 1999 with Rhône-Poulenc to form Aventis, which then merged in 2004 with Sanofi-Synthélabo to form Sanofi-Aventis, which was since renamed Sanofi. Hoechst Schering AgrEvo merged in 1999 with Rhône-Poulenc's agrochemical division to form Aventis CropScience, which was acquired by Bayer AG in 2002 and combined with Bayer's agrochemical division to form Bayer CropScience.

RU-486

In April 1980, as part of a formal research project at Roussel-Uclaf for the development of glucocorticoid receptor antagonists, chemist Georges Teutsch synthesized mifepristone (RU-38486, the 38,486th compound synthesized by Roussel-Uclaf from 1949 to 1980; shortened to RU-486); which was discovered to also be a progesterone receptor antagonist.[7][8] In October 1981, endocrinologist Étienne-Émile Baulieu, a consultant to Roussel-Uclaf, arranged tests of its use for medical abortion in eleven women in Switzerland by gynecologist Walter Herrmann at the University of Geneva's Cantonal Hospital, with successful results announced on April 19, 1982.[7][9] On October 9, 1987, following worldwide clinical trials in 20,000 women of mifepristone with a prostaglandin analogue (initially sulprostone or gemeprost, later misoprostol) for medical abortion, Roussel-Uclaf sought approval in France for their use for medical abortion, with approval announced on September 23, 1988.[7][10]

On October 21, 1988, in response to antiabortion protests and concerns of majority (54.5%) owner Hoechst AG of Germany, Roussel-Uclaf’s executives and board of directors voted 16 to 4 to stop distribution of mifepristone, which they announced on October 26, 1988.[7][11] Two days later, the French government ordered Roussel-Uclaf to distribute mifepristone in the interests of public health.[7][12] French Health Minister Claude Évin explained that: "I could not permit the abortion debate to deprive women of a product that represents medical progress. From the moment Government approval for the drug was granted, RU-486 became the moral property of women, not just the property of a drug company."[7] Following use by 34,000 women in France from April 1988 to February 1990 of mifepristone distributed free of charge, Roussel-Uclaf began selling Mifegyne (mifepristone) to hospitals in France in February 1990 at a price (negotiated with the French government) of $48 per 600 mg dose.[7]

Mifegyne was subsequently approved in Great Britain on July 1, 1991,[13] and in Sweden in September 1992,[14] but until his retirement in late April 1994, Hoechst AG chairman Wolfgang Hilger, a devout Roman Catholic, blocked any further expansion in availability.[7][15] On May 16, 1994, Roussel-Uclaf announced that it was donating without remuneration all rights for medical uses of mifepristone in the U.S. to the Population Council,[16] which subsequently licensed mifepristone to Danco Laboratories, a new single-product company immune to antiabortion boycotts, which won FDA approval as Mifeprex on September 28, 2000.[17]

On April 8, 1997, after buying the remaining 43.5% of Roussel-Uclaf stock in early 1997,[18] Hoechst AG ($30 billion annual revenue) announced the end of its manufacture and sale of Mifegyne ($3.44 million annual revenue) and the transfer of all rights for medical uses of mifepristone outside of the U.S. to Exelgyn S.A., a new single-product company immune to antiabortion boycotts, whose CEO was former Roussel-Uclaf CEO Édouard Sakiz.[19] In 1999, Exelgyn won approval of Mifegyne in 11 additional countries, and in 28 more countries over the following decade.[20]

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Hoechst Marion Roussel France - ex-Roussel Uclaf, which juridically disappeared yesterday...
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. headquarters moved to Romainville in April 1995 after 40 years at 35 Boulevard des Invalides, Paris.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. 1996: $3.01 billion sales, $339.5 million net profit
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

    Roussel Uclaf
    Sales 1992: F14.8 billion (3.5%). Profit before tax 1992: F1.439 billion (43%). Investment in assets 1992: F930 million (11.8%). Acquisitions in 1992: F452 million. Employees: 15,673; 8,409 of whom are in France. Principal products: Pharmaceuticals (57% of sales), agroveterinary products (23%), bulk pharmaceuticals (13%) and OTC and cosmetics (4%). Roussel Uclaf is owned 65% by Hoechst and 35% by Rhone-Poulenc, which might soon sell its stake to Hoechst. Headquarters: Paris.

  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. 6,533 employees in France
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. 2nd largest pharmaceutical company (after Rhône-Poulenc and ahead of Sanofi)
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    US patent 4,386,085, Teutsch, Jean G.; Costerousse, Germain; Philibert, Daniel; Deraedt, Roger, "Novel steroids", issued 1983-05-31  assigned to Roussel Uclaf
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

Sources

  • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Retrieved from "https://infogalactic.com/w/index.php?title=Roussel_Uclaf&oldid=579509"