On March 7, 1996, the Swiss pharmaceutical companies Ciba-Geigy and Sandoz announced what was at the time the biggest merger in the history of the industry. Novartis was born with the vision of accelerating innovation and asserting an even stronger position on the global markets. Together with our predecessor companies, the collective heritage roots back more than 250 years, with a rich history of developing innovative products.
Two major milestones will mark the 25th anniversary of Novartis in 2021. A new event center named ‘Novartis Pavillon’, home to the permanent exhibition ‘Wonders of Medicine’ will be inaugurated in the fourth quarter of 2021. In addition, and as a next stage of its development, the Novartis Campus will subsequently be opened: In 2021, it will first be open to startups, incubators, accelerators, institutes, companies, and partners. As a second step in 2022, it will be opened to the public during working hours.
Created to innovate
After the merger in 1996, Novartis embarked on a journey to focus its activities on healthcare, moving away from agriculture and food. International research centers were opened in Cambridge, Massachusetts and Shanghai. Additionally, the company started to acquire external entities, thus strengthening Research & Development and leveraging innovation.
Over the past 25 years, Novartis has achieved medical breakthroughs in cancer care, heart disease and the fight against inflammatory conditions. We are also strongly committed to giving back to society and harnessing the potential of data and digital. Most importantly, our greatest asset are our employees with their diversity, energy, creativity, and dedication, enabling innovation to reach patients more broadly and faster.
Looking at the next 25 years and beyond, Novartis will continue reimagining medicine to improve and extend people’s lives.
