Gedeon Richter Plc. is a European multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company headquartered in Budapest. It is the largest pharmaceutical company in Central and Eastern Europe, with an expanding direct presence in Western Europe, China, Northern America and Latin America. Richter has the largest R&D unit in Central and Eastern Europe and operations in over 100 countries.
Gedeon Richter Plc. has a primary listing on the Budapest Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the BUX Index. It had a market capitalisation of approximately $6.6 billion as of 2018, the third largest of companies with a primary listing on the Budapest Stock Exchange. It has secondary listings on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange.
The company sells products for the central nervous system, women’s health and cardiovascular therapeutic areas among others. Richter is also active in biosimilar product development. The company was established in Budapest by Gedeon Richter (1872–1944), a pharmacist, in 1901.
History
Early history
In 1901, the pharmacist Gedeon Richter founded the company, when he first received a license to industrially produce medicines.
Initially, small-scale pharmaceutical production took place in the Arany Sas (Golden Eagle) Pharmacy, which still operates today. At the time pharmaceutical production on an industrial scale required heavy investments, and large-scale pharmaceutical manufacturing activities were considered to be extremely capital-intensive operations. Initially, the laboratory processed extracts from organs of animals and produced organotherapeutic drugs.
The plant was built in 1907 in the Kőbánya suburb of Budapest and was Hungary´s first pharmaceutical manufacturing plant and regarded as an outstanding technological achievement in its day. In compliance with the established international trends of the pharmaceutical industry in those days, the company produced herbal drugs, processed extracts from plants and manufactured synthetic products at a later date. The company became a highly recognized manufacturer of lecithin products, antiseptic and febrifuge products, as well as painkillers (Hyperol, Kalmopyrin, and Tonogen, which continue to be in use). In 1934, Constant Janssen, of the future Janssen Pharmaceuticals, acquired the distribution rights for Gedeon Richter's products.
In the 1970s, chemists at the Gedeon Richter Chemical Works in Budapest discovered the brain enhancing drug Vinpocetine.
In 1995 Gedeon Richter signed a contract with Danco Laboratories to market an abortion pill mifepristone in the USA. Danco resolved to contracting Gedeon, because its prior attempts to find a US distributor failed due to "the politically volatile climate surrounding abortion in this country [the USA]." Facing a strong opposition from the US pro-life groups, Gedeon decided in 1997 to end its efforts to place mifepristone on the U.S. market. On May 9, 1997 Danco filed a lawsuit against Gedeon, because they lost over $200 million due to the Gedeon's breach of contract.
Recent history
In May 2006 Gedeon Richter signed a development and supply agreement with the US-based company Repros Therapeutics to produce Proellex. In July 2007 Gedeon Richter signed a contract with Barr Pharma for the production of Novartis Lamisil. Barr paid Gedeon Richter a royalty for distributing the product in the U.S.
From July 2008 - April 2012, the company constructed a new manufacturing facility ($110 million) in Debrecen.
In October 2010, Gedeon Richter acquired 100% of a private Swiss biopharmaceutical company, PregLem, for CHF 445 million (€337 million). PregLem is focused on the treatment of gynecological conditions and infertility.
In 2015, Stada Arzneimittel AG and Gedeon Richter signed a license and distribution agreement to commercialize Richter’s biosimilar Pegfilgrastim in Europe. According to the agreement Stada receives non-exclusive distribution rights for the area of geographical Europe (excluding Russia), while Richter retains its rights to distribute and market biosimilar Pegfilgrastim worldwide.
In January 2017, William de Gelsey resigned as Chairman of the board of Gedeon Richter. He was replaced by former CEO Erik Bogsch, who served as a Chief Executive Officer of Gedeon Richter from 1992 to November 2017. As the new Chief Executive Officer he appointed Gabor Orban, a former fund manager, government official and Bogsch’s deputy since 2016. De Gelsey remains to be a member of the board.