Cilag AG is a Swiss
pharmaceutical company. Cilag is a subsidiary of American pharmaceutical giant
Johnson & Johnson. The company is part of Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine business segment.
Company history
In 1933, Swiss chemist
Bernhard Joos set up a small research laboratory in
Schaffhausen
Schaffhausen (; ; ; ; ), historically known in English as Shaffhouse, is a list of towns in Switzerland, town with historic roots, a municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in northern Switzerland, and the capital of the canton of Schaffh ...
, Switzerland. This set the basis for the founding of ''Chemische Industrie-Labor AG'' (Chemical Industry Laboratory AG or Cilag) on 12 May 1936.
The first president of Cilag's administrative board was Carl Naegeli, a well-known professor at the Chemical Institute of the
University of Zurich
The University of Zurich (UZH, ) is a public university, public research university in Zurich, Switzerland. It is the largest university in Switzerland, with its 28,000 enrolled students. It was founded in 1833 from the existing colleges of the ...
. After the death of Naegeli in 1942, Joos himself then took over the managing role until he left the company in 1949.
In 1959, Cilag joined the
Johnson & Johnson family of companies.
In the early 1990s, the marketing organizations of Cilag and
Janssen Pharmaceuticals were joined to form
Janssen-Cilag. The non-marketing activities of both companies still operate under their original name.
Cilag continues to have operations under the Cilag name in Switzerland, ranging from research and development through manufacturing and international services.
In August 2014 Cilag acquired
Covagen a biopharmaceutical company which specialises in the development of multi-specific protein based therapeutics. As part of the acquisition Cilag will gain access to Covagen’s lead drug candidate,
COVA 322, a bi-specific anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha/anti-interleukin (IL)-17A FynomAb, is in a Phase Ib study for
psoriasis
Psoriasis is a long-lasting, noncontagious autoimmune disease characterized by patches of abnormal skin. These areas are red, pink, or purple, dry, itchy, and scaly. Psoriasis varies in severity from small localized patches to complete b ...
.
Product history
Joos' first discovery was
pyridazil, an azo dyestuff derived from
pyridine, which is an
analgesic for the
urinary tract.
[Zelenitsky SA, Zhanel GG., Phenazopyridine in urinary tract infections, Ann Pharmacother. 1996 Jul-Aug;30(7-8):866-8] By 1952 Joos had discovered seven new chemical compounds and developed them into new products.
The company's research and development record covers discoveries and developments in the fields of
biotechnology
Biotechnology is a multidisciplinary field that involves the integration of natural sciences and Engineering Science, engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms and parts thereof for products and services. Specialists ...
,
central nervous system
The central nervous system (CNS) is the part of the nervous system consisting primarily of the brain, spinal cord and retina. The CNS is so named because the brain integrates the received information and coordinates and influences the activity o ...
,
women's health,
dermatology
Dermatology is the branch of medicine dealing with the Human skin, skin.''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.'' Random House, Inc. 2001. Page 537. . It is a speciality with both medical and surgical aspects. A List of dermatologists, ...
,
anti-infectives and
immunology
Immunology is a branch of biology and medicine that covers the study of Immune system, immune systems in all Organism, organisms.
Immunology charts, measures, and contextualizes the Physiology, physiological functioning of the immune system in ...
.
See also
*
List of pharmaceutical companies
*
Pharmaceutical industry in Switzerland
References
External links
Cilag AG
{{Authority control
Swiss companies established in 1936
Pharmaceutical companies established in 1936
Pharmaceutical companies of Switzerland
Johnson & Johnson subsidiaries
1959 mergers and acquisitions