Celltech
 |
|
| Public | |
| Industry | Biotechnology |
| Fate | Acquired |
| Successor | UCB |
| Founded | 1980 |
| Defunct | 2004 |
| Headquarters | Slough, UK |
|
Key people
|
Goran Ando (CEO) |
Celltech Group plc was a leading British-based biotechnology business based in Slough. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.
Contents
History
The Company was founded by Gerard Fairtlough in 1980 with finance from the National Enterprise Board.[1]
In 1999 the Company led consolidation in the UK biosciences market merging with Chiroscience plc and then buying Medeva plc.[2] Then in 2000 it bought Cistron, a US biosciences business.[3] It expanded into Germany in 2001 buying Thiemann, a German biosciences business,[4] and went on to buy Oxford Glycosciences in July 2003 for £102m.[5] Celltech was acquired by UCB, a Belgian drugmaker, in 2004.[6] Since then it has been known as UCB Celltech.
Operations
The Company was engaged in research and development of therapies for patients with serious diseases. Products included:[7]
- Tussionex for coughs
- Zaroxolyn for resistant edema
- Methylphenidate for ADHD
- Amphetamine for ADHD and narcolepsy, as 5 mg Dexedrine tablets
- Semprex-D, an antihistamine and decongestant
