Almirall, S.A. is a Spanish

pharmaceutical company The pharmaceutical industry is a Medicine, medical industry that discovers, develops, produces, and markets pharmaceutical goods such as medications and medical devices. Medications are then administered to (or Self-medicate, self-administered b ...

dedicated to medical dermatology, with headquarters in

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

, founded in 1944. In 2023, the company generated total revenues of €898.8 million and was the leading European company in medical dermatology. With approximately 1,904 employees (2023), it has a direct presence in 20 countries through its 15 subsidiaries in Europe and the USA.

History

Early history

Almirall SA was founded in 1944 in Spain. In 1979, the company launched gastroprokinetic clebopride in Spain, the first product from the company’s internal R&D team. In 1984, the business launched antacid product, almagate, in Spain, as well as

anti-inflammatory Anti-inflammatory is the property of a substance or treatment that reduces inflammation, fever or swelling. Anti-inflammatory drugs, also called anti-inflammatories, make up about half of analgesics. These drugs reduce pain by inhibiting mechan ...

piketoprofen in 1985 and antihistamine ebastine and

cinitapride Cinitapride (trade names Cintapro, Pemix, Gapulsid) is a gastroprokinetic agent and antiemetic agent of the benzamide class which is marketed in India, Mexico, Pakistan, Spain, Croatia and the Czech Republic. It acts as an agonist of the 5-HT1 ...

in 1985. In the same year, Almirall opened its first subsidiary, based in Belgium. In 1992 the company launched

aceclofenac Aceclofenac is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) analog of diclofenac. It is used for the relief of pain and inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and ankylosing spondylitis. It was patented in 1983 and approved for ...

and a year later opened its second foreign subsidiary, in Portugal. The company's new headquarters were opened in Barcelona, in 1994. In 1997 Almirall and Prodesfarma merged their interests.

Further expansion

In 2000 the FDA approved anti-migraine agent

almotriptan Almotriptan (trade name Axert and others) is a triptan medication discovered and developed by Almirall for the treatment of heavy migraine headache. It was patented in 1992 and approved for medical use in 2000. Medical uses Almotriptan is ...

. A year later the company opened its Mexican subsidiary as well as acquiring its French affiliate. Beginning in 2002, Almirall opened a series of European based subsidiaries; Italy (2002), Germany (2003), Austria, Poland, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Switzerland (2008), Nordic Countries (2010) and Netherlands (2013). In 2005 the business acquired the commercial rights for

Sativex Nabiximols ( USAN), sold under the brand name Sativex, is a specific ''Cannabis'' extract that was approved in 2010 as a botanical drug in the United Kingdom. Nabiximols is sold as a mouth spray intended to alleviate neuropathic pain, spasticit ...

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

for the treatment of spasticity associated to

multiple sclerosis Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease resulting in damage to myelinthe insulating covers of nerve cellsin the brain and spinal cord. As a demyelinating disease, MS disrupts the nervous system's ability to Action potential, transmit ...

. In 2006, the company opened its new R&D Centre based in

Sant Feliu de Llobregat Sant Feliu de Llobregat () is an industrial city and municipality in Catalonia, Spain, in the province of Barcelona (province), Barcelona. It is the capital of the Comarques of Catalonia, comarca of Baix Llobregat, and the see of a Roman Catholic ...

as well as the acquisition of the Centre of Excellence for Inhalation Technology. In 2007, the company floated on the Spanish stock market, as well as acquiring European dermatology specialist, Hermal. The company also acquired a portfolio of eight products from

Shire plc Shire plc was a UK-founded Jersey-registered specialty biopharmaceutical company. Originating in the United Kingdom with an operational base in the United States, its brands and products included Vyvanse, Lialda, and Adderall XR. Shire was acq ...

. In 2011, Almirall launched Actikerall prescribed for the local treatment of

actinic keratosis Actinic keratosis (AK), sometimes called solar keratosis or senile keratosis, is a Premalignant condition, pre-cancerous area of thick, scaly, or crusty skin.Freedberg, et al. (2003). ''Fitzpatrick's Dermatology in General Medicine''. (6th ed. ...

. In 2012, Almirall opened its first North America subsidiary, based in Canada and launched aclidinium, prescribed for

chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a type of progressive lung disease characterized by chronic respiratory symptoms and airflow limitation. GOLD defines COPD as a heterogeneous lung condition characterized by chronic respiratory s ...

(

COPD Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a type of progressive lung disease characterized by chronic respiratory symptoms and airflow limitation. GOLD defines COPD as a heterogeneous lung condition characterized by chronic respiratory s ...

), in Europe under the brand Eklira Genuair and Bretaris Genuair and in the United States under the brand Tudorza Pressair. The business also launched Monovo, for the treatment of inflammatory skin diseases such as

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 ...

Medical dermatology

Almirall began a concentrated focus on medical dermatology in 2013, following the acquisition of another specialist dermatology company, Aqua Pharmaceuticals. The company launched

linaclotide Linaclotide, (sold under the brand name Linzess in the US and Mexico, and as Constella elsewhere) is a drug used to treat irritable bowel syndrome with constipation and chronic constipation with no known cause. It has a black box warning ab ...

in Europe (Constella) for

irritable bowel syndrome Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional gastrointestinal disorder characterized by a group of symptoms that commonly include abdominal pain, abdominal bloating, and changes in the consistency of bowel movements. These symptoms may ...

with

constipation Constipation is a bowel dysfunction that makes bowel movements infrequent or hard to pass. The Human feces, stool is often hard and dry. Other symptoms may include abdominal pain, bloating, and feeling as if one has not completely passed the ...

(IBS-C) and opened its Netherlands subsidiary. In 2014 Almirall divested its rights to its respiratory franchise to Astrazeneca focussing on dermatology, later in 2015 declaring its strategic intention to become a leading pharmaceutical company in the field of dermatology and continuing with its expansion by acquiring Poli Group Holding and ThermiGen LLC in 2016. In May 2022, a new generational change took place within the founding family, with the replacement of Jorge Gallardo Ballart by his son Carlos Gallardo Piqué at the head of the non-executive presidency of the company. Six months later, Carlos Gallardo also assumed the executive management.

Activities

Almirall collaborates with various public and private entities, such as the Centro Superior de Investigaciones Científicas ( CSIC), the Instituto de Investigación Biomédica and the Parc Científic de Barcelona in Spain. Highlighted among the international alliances are those with the

Imperial College London Imperial College London, also known as Imperial, is a Public university, public research university in London, England. Its history began with Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, who envisioned a Al ...

(United Kingdom) and the

National Institute of Health The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in 1887 and is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Servic ...

(

NIH The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in 1887 and is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Service ...

) in the United States. Almirall participated in the creation of the Barcelona Respiratory Network Foundation. In

, the company has contributed in several projects with the

Innovative Medicines Initiative The Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) is a European initiative to improve the competitive situation of the European Union in the field of pharmaceutical research. The IMI is a joint initiative ( public-private partnership) of the DG Resear ...

(IMI).

Centres

The R&D centre in

(

), houses the departments involved in all stages of R&D, as well as the development of new chemical entities. The Reinbek Centre of Excellence for

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, ...

specializes in the development of new formulas for the treatment of skin diseases. The company also has three production centres: two in Spain, the pharmaceutical plant in Sant Andreu de la Barca (

) and the pharmaceutical and chemical plant in

Sant Celoni Sant Celoni () is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in the Comarques of Catalonia, ''comarca'' of the Vallès Oriental in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated in the valley of the Tordera river between the ranges of Montseny and Montnegre. The m ...

(

); and a pharmaceutical plant in Germany ( Reinbek); as well as 13 affiliates in Germany, Austria, Belgium-

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

, the United States, France, the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, Italy, the

Nordic countries The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or ''Norden''; ) are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe, as well as the Arctic Ocean, Arctic and Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic oceans. It includes the sovereign states of Denm ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

, the United Kingdom-Ireland, Spain, and Switzerland.

Numbers

Main products

Blastoestimulina (Spain) Rino-Ebastel (Spain) Almax (Spain)

References

External links

* {{Authority control Biotechnology companies of Spain Pharmaceutical companies of Spain Manufacturing companies based in Barcelona Companies listed on the Madrid Stock Exchange Pharmaceutical companies established in 1943 1943 establishments in Spain Spanish brands Multinational companies headquartered in Spain