Organon International
Organon was a pharmaceutical company headquartered in Oss, Netherlands. In November 2007, Schering-Plough Corporation, based in New Jersey, US, acquired Organon, active-pharmaceutical-ingredient producer Diosynth (separate from Organon until 2004),[1] and its veterinary pharmaceutical sister company Intervet from Akzo Nobel.[2] In November 2009, Schering-Plough merged with Merck & Co. under the name Merck & Co., known as Merck Sharp & Dohme or MSD outside the United States and Canada.[3] Organon deals in the following core therapeutic fields: reproductive medicine, contraception, psychiatry, HRT and anesthesia. Organon sells to international markets.
Industry | pharmaceutical company |
---|---|
Founded | 1923 |
Defunct | November 2007 |
Headquarters | , |
Manufacturing facilities are in the Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom, Ireland, China, Japan, and the USA.
History
Organon was founded by Dr. Saal van Zwanenberg in Oss, the Netherlands, in 1923 as a separate part of the meat factory Zwanenberg's fabrieken. Its first product was insulin in 1923.[4] In the thirties it manufactured estrogens.[4]
In 1948, Organon acquired the Newhouse research site in Scotland, United Kingdom. The production of cortisone was initiated in 1953.[1]
In 1962 it bought the stock of the Nederlandsche Cocaïnefabriek. The now named Koninklijke Zwanenberg-Organon (KZO) fused with the fibre producer AKU in 1969 to become AKZO, later Akzo Nobel. Organon was the human health care business unit of Akzo Nobel and transferred its headquarters to New Jersey, USA[5] while the main headquarters of Akzo Nobel remained in Arnhem, and has since moved to Amsterdam.
In May 2020, Merck & Co. announced that Organon & Co. will be the name of "the pending spin-off of its women’s health, legacy products, and biosimilars businesses, which the company says is on track to be completed by the end of the first half in 2021."[6]
Products
Products include: Bridion, Esmirtazapine, Remeron, Remeron SolTab, Sustanon, Deca-Durabolin, Pregnyl, Implanon, NuvaRing, Marvelon, Desolett and a variety of other contraceptive products.
Research compounds
During its period of independent operation, Organon developed a large number of compounds which were never adopted for medical use, but continue to be used for a variety of scientific research. Notable compounds include:
Kickback scandal
On October 16, 2014, the government of the United States charged Organon with misrepresentation of drug prices and providing improper financial incentives (kickbacks) to nursing homes for market-shares discounts to encourage the use of Remeron.[7] Organon paid $622,350 in restitution under the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute.
References
- "81 Years of Organon at a Glance". Organon. Archived from the original on 9 March 2005. Retrieved 19 June 2010.
- "Schering-Plough Acquires Organon BioSciences". Medical Net News. 20 November 2007. Retrieved 19 June 2010.
- "Merck and Schering-Plough to Complete Merger Today" (Press release). Merck & Co. November 3, 2009. Archived from the original on November 7, 2009. Retrieved 2010-07-16.
- "Organon History 1920s". Organon. Archived from the original on 9 December 2006. Retrieved 19 June 2010.
- "Why the Germany and Much of the European Union is Losing its Pharmaceutical Industry" (PDF). American Enterprise Institute. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 July 2013. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
- "Merck & Co. To Move Global HQ; Names Organon as New Spin-off". dcatvci.org. Retrieved 2020-08-19.
- "Who Is Organon?". Sunrise House. Retrieved 2020-09-06.
External links
- Organon official website (redirects to merck.com)
- Schering-Plough (redirects to merck.com)
- Intervet International (redirects to merck-animal-health.com)
- Photo of Organon Insulin carton, 1930
- Report to the Insulin Committee on Insulins in Europe, 1925 (University of Toronto)-page 26-Organon