Schering AG

Last updated
Schering AG
Industry Pharmaceutical
PredecessorChemische Werke Essener Steinkohle  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Founded1851
FateMerged
Successor Bayer Schering Pharma AG
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals
Headquarters Berlin-Wedding, Germany
Key people
Hubertus Erlen, last CEO
Products Gynaecology & Andrology
Special therapeutics
Diagnostical devices & Nuclear medicine
Oncology
Number of employees
26,000 (2004)
Websitewww.schering.xyz
Headquarters of Schering AG, now Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, in Berlin Bild-Cecil - Foto-Exkursion Berlin 2008 - Bayer Schering Pharma.jpg
Headquarters of Schering AG, now Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, in Berlin
Office building for pharmacological science in Berlin Berlin Schering Office.jpg
Office building for pharmacological science in Berlin

Schering AG was a research-centered German multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Wedding, Berlin, which operated as an independent company from 1851 to 2006. In 2006, it was bought by Bayer AG and merged to form the Bayer subsidiary Bayer Schering Pharma AG, which was renamed Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals in 2011. Schering was listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and had 26,000 employees as of 2004.

Contents

The American pharmaceutical company Schering-Plough, formerly the Schering Corporation, was originally the US subsidiary of Schering AG, and merged with Merck & Co. in 2009.

History

In 1851, Ernst Christian Friedrich Schering opened the Grüne Apotheke (Green Pharmacy) in Berlin's Chausseestraße, and in 1871, converted into the name Chemische Fabrik auf Actien (formerly E. Schering). This date is the company's date of incorporation.

The company grew strongly in the following years. In 1913, the company employed 935 workers, 112 master craftsman and 180 office employees. In addition to the Berlin site, two factories were also located in Russia (Moscow and Wydriza (Idritsa)) with over 1,000 workers and a plant in Great Britain. Turnover at the time was about 10 million German gold mark, created with the production of photochemicals and pharmaceuticals. Important products produced were salicylic acid, the antigout preparation atophan, various sleeping and disinfecting agents.

At the beginning of the 1920s, Schering took over the wash and colouring company W. Spindler  [ de ] located in the Berlin district Köpenick. In 1922, the management acquired the majority of shares in the chemical factory Chemischen Fabrik auf Actien (formerly E. Schering) from the Upper Silesian Oberschlesische Kokswerke und Chemische Fabriken  [ de ]. By 1929, Schering had built a new production site in Berlin-Grünau, Cöpenicker Strasse, on a former storage area of the Kahlbaum chemical factory. [1]

In 1937, the companies Kokswerke und Chemische Fabriken AG and the Chemischen Fabrik auf Actien amalgamated with the sister company Schering-Kahlbaum AG and, on the same day, renamed on account of the internationally respected name Schering to Schering Aktiengesellschaft. The pharmaceutical business thus became part of a mining and chemical group, which also produced radiographic products and pesticides.

In 1938, the Scherk company and the Scherk-Haus in Berlin were sold to Schering in the course of the "Aryanization". In July 1942, a camp for foreign forced laborers was built on the factory premises. [2] In 1951, the factory building was repaired after being destroyed in the war. [3]

After the end of the Second World War, the Adlershof factory of Schering AG was located in the Soviet occupation zone and thus in the later German Democratic Republic; this part became the Berlin-Chemie pharmaceutical company. [4]

Schering was the manufacturer of Primodos.

Nazi medical experiments

In May 1999, survivors of Nazi medical experiment filed lawsuits against Bayer AG, Hoechst AG and Schering AG. [5] [6]

In 2003, Simon Rozenkier filed a lawsuit against Schering and Bayer concerning the horrific medical "experiments" the companies participated in during the Nazi era. [7] [8] "If there was ever an example of why I titled the book about my Holocaust restitution negotiations in the Clinton administration “Imperfect Justice,” Stuart Eisenstadt wrote, "it is the case of Simon Rozenkier." [9] The lawsuit conflicted with a previous agreement under which $25 million had been set aside for victims of medical experiments, such as Rosenkier. Writing in Forward, lawyer Stuart Eizenstat wrote: "During the allocation process it became painfully evident that we simply did not have enough money to achieve anything like full justice for all of the victims". [10]

Bayer takeover 2006

In March 2006, Merck KGaA announced a €14.6bn bid for Schering, which by 2006 had annual gross revenue of around €5 billion [11] and employed about 26,000 people in 140 subsidiaries worldwide. [12] Bayer responded with a white knight bid and in July acquired the majority of shares of Schering for €14.6bn, [13] and in 2007, Bayer took over Schering AG and formed Bayer Schering Pharma. The acquisition of Schering was the largest take-over in Bayer's history, [12] : 49–52  [14] and as of 2015 this was one of the ten biggest pharma mergers of all time. [15]

At the time of the merger, the company employed more than 26,000 people in 140 subsidiaries worldwide. Schering's annual gross revenue was nearly €5 billion (2003).

Schering AG focused on the business areas of gynaecology, andrology, multiple sclerosis, oncology, and contrast agents. Schering's best-known products are probably its brands of combined oral contraceptive pills. Other key products included the interferon-beta brand Betaferon (Betaseron in North America) and the paramagnetic contrast agent Magnevist.

The largest German manufacturing facility was located in Bergkamen.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IG Farben</span> Former German chemicals conglomerate

I. G. Farbenindustrie AG, commonly known as IG Farben, was a German chemical and pharmaceutical conglomerate. Formed in 1925 from a merger of six chemical companies—BASF, Bayer, Hoechst, Agfa, Chemische Fabrik Griesheim-Elektron, and Chemische Fabrik vorm. Weiler Ter Meer—it was seized by the Allies after World War II and divided back into its constituent companies.

The Merck Group, branded and commonly known as Merck, is a German multinational science and technology company headquartered in Darmstadt, with about 60,000 employees and a presence in 66 countries. The group includes around 250 companies; the main company is Merck KGaA in Germany. The company is divided into three business lines: Healthcare, Life Sciences and Electronics. Merck was founded in 1668 and is the world's oldest operating chemical and pharmaceutical company, as well as one of the largest pharmaceutical companies globally.

Michel Christopher "Christoph" Meili is a Swiss-American whistleblower and former security professional. In 1997, Meili illegally disclosed to third parties that Swiss bank Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS) was destroying documentation of Holocaust-era assets. After a federal arrest warrant, a set of fines, and death threats were issued to him, Meili fled Switzerland to the United States by right of asylum in late 1997, returning to his home country in 2009.

Altana AG is a German chemical company headquartered in Wesel. It was created in 1977, as a result of spinning off divisions from the Varta Group. The first CEO was Herbert Quandt.

The Accumulatoren-Fabrik Aktiengesellschaft (AFA) was a manufacturer of lead-acid batteries established in 1890 by Adolph Müller of the Accumulatoren-Fabrik Tudorschen Systems Müller & Einbeck with the participation of the Siemens AG and AEG companies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berliner Maschinenbau</span>

Berliner Maschinenbau AG was a German manufacturer of locomotives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chemische Fabrik Kalk</span>

Chemische Fabrik Kalk (CFK) was a German chemicals company based in Kalk, a city district of Cologne. The company was founded in 1858 as Chemische Fabrik Vorster & Grüneberg, Cöln by Julius Vorster and Hermann Julius Grüneberg and was renamed to Chemische Fabrik Kalk GmbH in 1892. At times the company was the second-largest German producer of soda ash and was, with almost 2400 employees, one of the largest employers in Cologne. For decades the chimneys and the water tower of the factory dominated the skyline of Cologne-Kalk.

Temmler Werke GmbH was founded in Detmold in 1917 by Hermann Temmler. The Temmler Group is a German pharmaceutical company, which focuses on the production, sale and contract production of pharmaceutical products. In 2012, the Temmler Group was taken over by the Aenova Group and with its seven production sites is one of the largest European pharmaceutical contract manufacturers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jenapharm</span> German pharmaceutical company

Jenapharm is a pharmaceutical company from Jena, Germany. Founded in 1950 in East Germany, the company focused from the beginning on the production and development of steroids. Due to the economic circumstances of the Eastern Bloc, the company initially used a unique process of steroid synthesis starting from hog bile, however this method was abandoned a decade later in favor of total synthesis. Initially the company produced a wide range of generic steroids, including corticosteroids, but later on it focused on anabolic steroids, estrogens and progestins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bayer</span> German multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company

Bayer AG is a German multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company and is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. Headquartered in Leverkusen, Bayer's areas of business include pharmaceuticals, consumer healthcare products, agricultural chemicals, seeds and biotechnology products. The company is a component of the EURO STOXX 50 stock market index.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eugen de Haën</span> German chemist and entrepreneur (1835–1911)

Carl Johann Eugen de Haën, often known as Eugen de Haën or Eugen de Haen, was a German chemist and entrepreneur. He was founder of the chemistry factory E. de Haën & Co.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ernst Marlier</span> German businessman

Ernst Ferdinand Emil Marlier was a German pharmaceutical manufacturer who built the Wannsee Villa, where the Wannsee Conference was held.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilhelm Rudolf Mann</span>

Wilhelm Rudolf Mann was a German factory manager for IG Farben and later with Bayer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atotech</span>

Atotech is an international speciality chemicals and equipment company. It provides chemistry and equipment for companies that manufacture printed circuit boards, IC-substrates and semiconductors; and also provides specialty chemicals and equipment for decorative and functional surface finishing in the automotive, construction, furniture and other industries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Borer</span>

Thomas Gustav Borer is a Swiss management consultant, lobbyist and former diplomat. From 1996 to 1999 he headed the Switzerland – Second World War Task Force. He then was Switzerland's ambassador to Germany until 2002.

The Humanitarian Fund for the Victims of the Holocaust was created by the Swiss Bankers Association (SBA) as a result of the "Meili Affair". The fund enabled the Swiss financial industry to participate in the process of paying reparations to the victims of Nazi looting during World War II that was abetted by Swiss banks and the failure of Swiss life insurance companies to honor the policies of Holocaust victims. The fund is administered by the International Commission on Holocaust Era Insurance Claims.

Gerhard Raspé was a Romanian-born German organic chemist, who served as research director at Schering AG and a member of the company's executive board.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Department of Medical Microbiology (Schering AG)</span>

The Department of Medical Microbiology, formerly known as the Department of Bacteriology or the Institute of Bacteriology, was a research department of the pharmaceutical company Schering AG.

Berlin-Chemie AG is a German pharmaceutical company based in Berlin, Germany. It is part of the Menarini Group.

References

  1. ↑ "Cöpenicker Straße 51–56". 1929.
  2. ↑ "Braune Flecken auf der Pille". Neues Deutschland. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  3. ↑ "Heimatverein Steglitz | Orstsgeschichte | Südende". 2011-11-06. Archived from the original on 2011-11-06. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
  4. ↑ "Berlin-Chemie Menarini, Our History" . Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  5. ↑ "WWII Survivors Sue German Drug Cos". AP NEWS. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
  6. ↑ Staunton, Denis. "Bayer accused of involvement in Nazi medical experiments on Jews". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
  7. ↑ Greenhouse, Steven (2003-11-19). "Capping the Cost of Atrocity; Survivor of Nazi Experiments Says $8,000 Isn't Enough". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2010-11-15. Retrieved 2021-03-26. This year, Mr. Rozenkier filed a lawsuit accusing two German pharmaceutical giants, Bayer and Schering, of providing experts and drugs to Dr. Mengele and other Nazi doctors for sterilizations. What they did to me is beyond right and wrong, said Mr. Rozenkier, who lost his parents and four siblings in the Holocaust. They should be punished. His lawsuit, in Federal District Court in Newark, has created a legal and diplomatic tempest because the German government and German companies insist that there is no place for such litigation now.
  8. ↑ "Rozenkier v. AG Schering, 196 F. App'x 93 (2006) Aug. 2, 2006 · United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit · No. 04-3934 196 F. App'x 93". cite.case.law. Retrieved 2021-03-26. Notwithstanding his Foundation application, Rozenkier filed suit in the Eastern District of New York against Schering AG and Bayer AG (the "Appellees") on March 25, 2003, alleging that the Appellees had cooperated with the Nazi regime in causing his sterilization, and claiming damages under a number of tort theories, including negligence, infliction of emotional distress, assault and battery, conspiracy, fraud, and breach of the manufacturer's duty to warn, as well as violations of international law.
  9. ↑ Eizenstat, Stuart (December 5, 2003). "Imperfect Justice, or None at All: 'Legal Peace' on Holocaust Claims". The Forward. Retrieved 2021-03-26. If there was ever an example of why I titled the book about my Holocaust restitution negotiations in the Clinton administration "Imperfect Justice," it is the case of Simon Rozenkier. Every fiber of our beings screams out for justice for Rozenkier, a slave laborer and survivor of the infamous death march to Buchenwald who was sterilized by Dr. Mengele's diabolical medical experiments. But how to best provide that justice some 60 years later?
  10. ↑ Eizenstat, Stuart (2003-12-05). "Imperfect Justice, or None at All: 'Legal Peace' on Holocaust Claims". Forward. The Forward Association. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  11. ↑ Schering AG press release. Feb 20, 2006 2005 a Record Year for Schering AG
  12. 1 2 B Rajesh Kumar. Mega Mergers and Acquisitions: Case Studies from Key Industries. Springer, 2012 ISBN   9781137005908
  13. ↑ Marie-Eve Laforte for First Word Pharma. July 12th, 2006 Bayer completes acquisition of Schering AG
  14. ↑ Griffiths, Katherine (25 June 2006). "Bayer acquires Schering in €17bn deal". The Daily Telegraph.
  15. ↑ Staff Pharmaceutical Technology. April 13, 2015 Healthy appetite - the ten biggest pharmaceutical takeovers

52°32′21″N13°22′02″E / 52.53917°N 13.36722°E / 52.53917; 13.36722

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.