Boehringer Ingelheim

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CH Boehringer son

logo
legal form AG & Co. KG
founding 1885
Seat Ingelheim am Rhein , Germany
management
  • Michael Schmelmer
  • Carine Brouillon
  • Michel Pairet
  • Jean Scheftsik de Szolnok
Number of employees 51,015 (2019)
sales EUR 19 billion (2019)
Branch Pharmaceutical industry
Website www.boehringer-ingelheim.de

Boehringer headquarters in Ingelheim

Boehringer Ingelheim is a pharmaceutical company founded in 1885 by Albert Boehringer in Ingelheim am Rhein . It is the largest research-based pharmaceutical company in Germany . The core business of Boehringer Ingelheim is exploring, developing, producing and distributing medicines for humans and animals.

The company achieved in 2019 on sales of 19.0 billion euros a operating profit of 3.8 billion euros.

Ownership and structure

The company is exclusively family-owned. The shareholder family has been represented in the company management since 2009 by Hubertus von Baumbach (* 1967) - a son of Erich von Baumbach, the son-in-law of the founder Albert Boehringer . He is the chief executive officer. Christian Boehringer has been the Chairman of the Shareholders' Committee since 2007 .

The legal parent company is CH Boehringer Sohn AG & Co KG . The global operational business is managed by its subsidiary Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH . Most of the nationwide businesses are run by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG in Germany and by Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GesmbH & Co KG in Austria .

In January 2013, the company took 8th place in terms of turnover in the ranking of the 500 largest family businesses in Germany by the Wirtschaftsblatt magazine .

history

Predecessor and relationship to the company of the same name in Mannheim

Christian Gotthold Engelmann and Christian Friedrich Boehringer opened the “Engelmann & Boehringer drug and material store” in Stuttgart in 1817 , which became the CF Boehringer & Sons chemical factory in 1859 after Engelmann's heirs left . In 1871 his son Christoph Heinrich Boehringer took over the company and then moved the headquarters to Mannheim .

In 1882 the company passed to his son Ernst Boehringer, who died in 1892. The Engelhorn family was now the sole owner . The company Boehringer Mannheim emerged from this company .

Foundation and first products

Albert Boehringer, the founder of Boehringer Ingelheim (ca.1905)

Another son of CH Boehringer, Albert Boehringer , founded a chemical factory in Nieder-Ingelheim am Rhein in 1885, which he renamed CH Boehringer Sohn in 1893. For about 70 years there were two companies with the name Boehringer . To make it easier to distinguish between them, the companies renamed themselves Boehringer Mannheim and Boehringer Ingelheim in the early 1960s .

In 1895 Boehringer Ingelheim made the discovery that lactic acid can be produced in large quantities with the help of bacteria , and biotechnical production began. Lactic acid was initially mainly sold as baking powder. In 1911, the subsidiary Chabeso GmbH was founded in Mainz , bringing the lemonade brand Chabeso based on lactic acid onto the market.

With the opium- based pain reliever Laudanon , Boehringer Ingelheim's first pharmaceutical product came onto the market in 1915. The scientific department was founded as early as 1917, and its supervision was initially entrusted to the chemist and later Nobel Prize winner Heinrich Wieland . As a result, the production of bile acid was started, Heinrich Wieland's specialty.

expansion

From 1924 a branch in Hamburg-Moorfleet produced basic substances for pharmaceuticals, including caffeine, morphine and codeine . In 1928 the Dr. Karl Thomä & Cie. in Winnenden near Stuttgart, from which the Biberach an der Riss location was established in 1943. In 1948, Bender & Co. GmbH, the first foreign company, was founded in Vienna . The veterinary program taken over by Pfizer in 1955 became Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica GmbH in 1978 . From 1962 to 1966, the later Federal President Richard von Weizsäcker was a member of the management. In 1986 the biotechnology center started operations in Biberach. As a result, the largest production facility for biopharmaceuticals from cell cultures in Europe was built to date .

Further development

In 1993 the two locations in Biberach and Ingelheim were merged under a single management; research was concentrated in Biberach, production - with the exception of biopharmaceutical production - in Ingelheim.

In 1995, Bioscientia , a laboratory diagnostics service provider, was spun off from Boehringer Ingelheim through a management buy-out .

In 2004, the microtechnology company microParts in Dortmund was taken over, which developed and produced the Respimat for the company .

Important new launches in recent years have been Spiriva for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( COPD ) and Pradaxa for preventing blood clots from forming .

In July 2015, Boehringer Ingelheim sold the US - generics division Roxane with around 1,300 employees, for $ 2.65 billion US to the British competitors Hikma Pharmaceuticals . Of the purchase price , Boehringer received $ 1.18 billion in cash and the remainder in 40 million Hikma shares. Boehringer Ingelheim is therefore a 16.71% shareholder in Hikma.

At the beginning of 2017, the over-the-counter human pharmaceuticals division was transferred to the pharmaceutical company Sanofi as part of a swap , and the animal health division of Sanofi ( Merial ) was integrated into Boehringer Ingelheim. The so-called sector swap also included a payment of 4.7 billion euros to Sanofi.

In April 2017, Boehringer Ingelheim made the largest single investment in the company's history to date: a biotech production facility for 700 million euros will be built in Vienna by 2021, where active pharmaceutical ingredients will be produced on the basis of genetically modified cells.

Locations

More than 47,700 employees in 146 companies work for the company worldwide (2014). 14,774 employees (including 699 trainees, as of 2014) work in Germany. The headquarters and headquarters of the company association is Ingelheim am Rhein . Medicines and active ingredients are produced here for the entire global group of companies. The company has other production facilities in Italy, Spain, Mexico, Brazil and the United States, among others.

Research and development for human pharmaceuticals currently takes place at five main locations around the world: Biberach an der Riß , Ridgefield (Connecticut) / USA , Vienna / Austria as well as Milan / Italy and Kobe / Japan . Between 2005 and 2014 Boehringer Ingelheim conducted or financed 1,414 studies with 115 substances in 95 countries in all regions of the world. Boehringer Ingelheim employs more than 8,000 people in research and development worldwide. The drug research focuses worldwide on four research areas: immunology and respiratory diseases, cardio-metabolic disorders, oncology , and diseases of the central nervous system.

Boehringer Ingelheim has had animal health research and development facilities in Fort Dodge , Iowa, since acquiring large portions of Pfizer's animal health business (particularly the former Wyeth branded Fort Dodge business) in October 2009 . In September 2012 the European Research Center for Animal Vaccines, “Boehringer Ingelheim Veterinary Research Center” (BIVRC), opened in Hanover. In 2014, around 2.7 billion euros flowed into research and development worldwide.

In 2014, the company generated 44 percent of sales in North and South America, 31 percent of sales came from the Europe region.

Ingelheim am Rhein

The headquarters and headquarters of the company association is Ingelheim am Rhein . Medicines and active ingredients are produced here for the entire global group of companies. A total of 8,605 people are employed at the site (2018 average). In addition to pharmaceutical production, the production of active pharmaceutical ingredients for the global group of companies takes place here.

Biberach an der Riss

6,232 employees (2018 average) are employed in Biberach . Research and development for conventional chemical active ingredients and for pharmaceuticals on a biotechnological basis as well as the production of biopharmaceuticals take place here .

Dortmund

Almost 700 employees at Boehringer Ingelheim microParts in Dortmund are mainly involved in the manufacture of the Respimat Soft Inhaler, which is filled and packaged in the Respimat plant in Ingelheim.

Hanover

The company invested around 61 million euros in Hanover in the Boehringer Ingelheim Veterinary Research Center (BIVRC), a European research center for animal vaccines that was controversial because of its location in a residential area. The city council of Hanover approved the development plan for this research center on September 17, 2009; The Lüneburg Higher Administrative Court ruled on January 12, 2011 that the development plan for the BIVRC, which is classified in biological protection level 3, is lawful. The research center opened on September 27, 2012 and now employs 89 scientists, laboratory workers and zookeepers.

Vienna

The Vienna location functions as a regional distribution center for Central and Eastern Europe (human pharmaceuticals and animal health) and as a regional center for clinical studies in Central and Eastern Europe. Hence the name of the national company is RCV ( Regional Center Vienna ). There is also an important location for company-wide oncological research and a production facility for biopharmaceutical production (fermentation of bacteria and yeasts).

The independent Research Institute for Molecular Pathology (IMP) run by Boehringer Ingelheim is also located in Vienna .

Product portfolio

The business areas comprise human pharmaceuticals with the segments prescription drugs, self-medication and industrial customer business (biopharmaceuticals, pharmaceutical production, pharmaceutical chemicals) and preparations for animal health.

Prescription drugs

The following prescription drugs are the top revenue drivers for the company:

Other important / well-known prescription products for the company also include:

  • Actilyse with the active ingredient alteplase for the treatment of myocardial infarction , pulmonary embolism , stroke and thrombotic occlusion (see also thrombolysis )
  • Adumbran with the active ingredient oxazepam for the treatment of anxiety u. States of tension
  • Aggrenox with the active ingredients dipyridamole and acetylsalicylic acid , for the prevention of secondary strokes or for transient ischemic attacks (TIA)
  • Aptivus with the active ingredient tipranavir for the treatment of HIV -infected
  • Berodual / Atrovent / Combivent with the active ingredients ipratropium bromide ( Combivent also with salbutamol ) and fenoterol ( Berotec ) for the treatment of chronic obstructive airways diseases and bronchial asthma
  • Catapresan with the active ingredient clonidine for the treatment of high blood pressure
  • Flomax with the active ingredient tamsulosin , used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)
  • Micardis Plus with the active ingredients telmisartan and hydrochlorothiazide for the treatment of high blood pressure and cardiovascular prevention
  • Twynsta, with the active substances telmisartan and amlodipine, to treat high blood pressure
  • Viramune with the drug nevirapine for the treatment of HIV infections

The company has high expectations for the possible approval of flibanserin for the treatment of women with decreased sexual desire. In November 2009, the company published the results of approval-relevant phase III studies that met with great interest in the media around the world. Experts and laypeople also discussed the new therapeutic approach, which was falsely compared with sildenafil ( Viagra ), intensively on social media . In October 2010, the company announced that it had stopped developing Flibanserin. The background to this decision was a recommendation made in July 2010 by an expert committee of the US Department of Health with regard to the proportionality of the benefits and risks of the therapy.

Formerly over the counter drugs

The over-the-counter drugs were given to the pharmaceutical company Sanofi as part of an exchange deal at the end of 2016, for which Boehringer Ingelheim received the animal health division from Sanofi ( Merial ).

The company's main self-medication (over-the-counter drugs) products were:

  • Antistax with an extract of red grapevine leaves for the treatment of chronic venous insufficiency (CVI)
  • Bisolvon with the active ingredient bromhexine , for the treatment of acute and chronic diseases of the bronchi
  • Buscogast , which is active in omeprazole, used to treat heartburn
  • Buscopan with the active ingredient butylscopolaminium bromide, used to treat cramps
  • Dulcolax with the active ingredients bisacodyl and sodium picosulfate, for the treatment of chronic and acute constipation
  • Mucoangin with the active ingredient ambroxol, used to treat sore throats
  • Mucosolvan with the active ingredient Ambroxol against acute and chronic diseases of the bronchi
  • Silomat , until 2007 with the active ingredient clobutinol , from 2008 with pentoxyverine or dextromethorphan for the treatment of dry coughs
  • Pharmaton with the active ingredients vitamins, minerals, trace elements, omega-3 fatty acids (DHA) to prevent iron and folic acid deficiency during pregnancy / to support the health of the cardiovascular system
  • Thomapyrin with the active ingredients acetylsalicylic acid , caffeine and paracetamol ; pain reliever and antipyretic

Animal health

The company's main animal health products:

  • Circoflex vaccine for pigs against porcine circovirus
  • Metacam with the active ingredient meloxicam as a pain reliever
  • Vetmedin with the active ingredient pimobendan for the treatment of heart disease in dogs

The company also has a portfolio of vaccines for various diseases in dogs, cats, pigs, cattle, horses, and poultry, as well as various drugs for the treatment of chronic diseases in dogs, cats, and horses.

As part of a swap deal, Boehringer Ingelheim took over animal health from Sanofi at the end of 2016 and, in return, handed over the over-the-counter medicine business to Sanofi.

public perception

Positive perception

The company and the owner family are involved in a variety of ways in the area of corporate social responsibility . In 2009, for example, the University of Mainz received a donation of 100 million euros to support the establishment of an international center of excellence for the life sciences. In 2013 there was another donation for the project of 50 million euros.

In 2013, for the third time, the company received the Corporate Health Award in the Chemicals / Pharmaceuticals category for services in occupational health management (OHM).

Negative perception

Supply of raw materials for Agent Orange

According to a 1991 article in the news magazine Der Spiegel , in 1967 the company supplied 720 tons of trichlorophenolate liquor to New Zealand-based Dow Watkins, a subsidiary of Dow Chemical . The chemical was used to manufacture the herbicide Agent Orange , which was used to defoliate forests during the Vietnam War and which caused severe health damage due to its dioxin content . Boehringer Ingelheim acknowledged the accuracy of this information one year after the article was published.

Dioxin at the Moorfleet plant

The dioxin scandal surrounding Boehringer Ingelheim had its origin in Hamburg-Billbrook . Boehringer Ingelheim operated a herbicide plant at Andreas-Meyer-Strasse 31-35 on the border with Moorfleet , the dioxin emissions of which made many workers sick. In 1984 the factory had to close. According to a report for the BMAS from 2011, there was “a considerable exposure of the employees to starting substances, intermediate and end products of herbicides and insecticides that were manufactured there from 1952 to 1984”. The site was redeveloped into the 1990s, but this did not lead to any significant relief of the soil, so that since 1994 the area has been separated from the surrounding area by meter-deep sheet piling.

Statistical studies have shown that the former workforce of C. H. Boehringer Sohn has an increased risk of cancer compared to the general population, which was shut down in the Hamburg-Moorfleet plant in 1984 and where dioxin pollution occurred during pesticide production.

Protests against animal testing

From the late 1970s onwards, the number of animal experiments carried out by large research groups such as Boehringer had led to a heated public debate about the usefulness and necessity of animal experiments, accompanied by numerous protests among the population. In 2008 and 2009 animal rights activists demonstrated against animal experiments at the Boehringer site in Biberach an der Riss. In 2009 the “Citizens' Initiative Against Mass Animal Trials in Residential Areas e. V. “against the European research center for animal vaccines planned by Boehringer Ingelheim in Hanover. This was supported by animal rights activists who kept the area in Hanover occupied for six weeks.

Patent dispute for AIDS drug in India

In connection with the AIDS drugs developed by Boehringer Ingelheim , the manufacturer is accused of making access to these drugs more difficult through patent law measures. The company has z. In India, for example, a patent application was filed for the active ingredient they had developed - the corresponding drugs are currently still being manufactured there at a quarter of the price demanded by Boehringer Ingelheim. In Kenya, the company threatened pharmacies and drug wholesalers with legal action if they continued to import the cheaper Indian preparation.

The company points out that no license or other fees are charged and that access to inexpensive AIDS drugs is not hindered in this way. This fact has meanwhile also been confirmed by the initiators of the campaign. This is to be continued, however, because Boehringer Ingelheim does not want to forego the intellectual property on its active ingredient in principle and could thus possibly levy fees in the future.

Anticoagulant deaths

In 2011, there were reports of deaths related to the anticoagulant dabigatran (Pradaxa). Between March 2008 and November 2011, 256 people around the world died in connection with taking the drug. However, Pradaxa is no more dangerous than other blood thinners, according to the company. As a result, around 4,000 people in the United States filed claims for damages against Boehringer Ingelheim. The US health authority FDA , which examined the frequency of serious side effects in its own studies, certified the drug to have a positive effect and a similar bleeding rate as warfarin . Even under the impression of negative press articles, the company concluded a settlement for 470 million euros with plaintiffs in the USA before the proceedings were opened.

Web links

Commons : Boehringer Ingelheim  - collection of images, videos and audio files

literature

  • Ulrich Viehöver : Boehringer - Do good and be silent better , in: Ulrich Viehöver: Die Influential - Henkel, Otto and Co - Who has money and power in Germany, Campus Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 2006, pp. 49-70.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Archive press releases Boehringer Ingelheim, December 15, 2017 (accessed December 16, 2017)
  2. ↑ Boehringer is filling two top management positions. In: https://www.handelsblatt.de . Retrieved January 7, 2020 .
  3. ↑ Archive press releases Boehringer Ingelheim, November 6, 2015 (accessed on April 13, 2016) ( Memento of November 21, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
  4. ↑ Boehringer is filling two top management positions. In: https://www.handelsblatt.de . Retrieved January 7, 2020 .
  5. ↑ a b c company report Boehringer Ingelheim 2019. (PDF; 2.6MB) In: company homepage www.boehringer-ingelheim.de. Retrieved April 20, 2020 .
  6. ↑ 1988–2012: Creating value through innovation. In: boehringer-ingelheim.de. Archived from the original on April 30, 2013 ; Retrieved April 12, 2013 .
  7. ↑ Frequently asked questions. In: www.boehringer-ingelheim.de. Archived from the original on November 3, 2013 ; Retrieved November 2, 2013 .
  8. ↑ Organization. In: www.boehringer-ingelheim.at. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015 ; accessed on December 15, 2015 .
  9. ↑ Top 500 - The largest family businesses in Germany (PDF; 307 kB) . In: Wirtschaftsblatt 1/13
  10. ↑ Company portrait on helpster.de from July 24, 2013 (accessed October 26, 2013)
  11. ↑ Cordt Schnibben : The death from Ingelheim. In: Der Spiegel 32, 1991, pp. 106-120.
  12. ↑ VRM GmbH & Co. KG: INGELHEIM: New Bioscientia boss Oliver Harzer is looking for synergies . ( Allgemeine-zeitung.de [accessed on August 12, 2018]).
  13. ^ Michael Sieber (Ed .: CH owner family: Boehringer Sohn AG & Co. KG): With people for people. From the history of the research-based pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim. Ingelheim 2010, pp. 192-207.
  14. ↑ Jürgen Salz: Generics Sales: Fresh Money for Boehringer. In: wiwo.de. July 29, 2015, accessed August 3, 2015 .
  15. ↑ Reuters: Boehringer sells US generics division. In: handelsblatt.com . July 28, 2015, accessed August 3, 2015 .
  16. ↑ Billion exchange with Sanofi: Boehringer is facing the largest acquisition in the company's history. Retrieved April 20, 2019 .
  17. ↑ Boehringer Ingelheim is investing 700 million euros in Vienna. In: The press . April 6, 2017. Retrieved June 29, 2017 .
  18. ↑ a b "Boehringer Ingelheim Company Profile" ( Memento from May 15, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 160 kB).
  19. ↑ R&D locations. In: www.boehringer-ingelheim.de. Archived from the original on February 28, 2014 ; accessed on February 22, 2014 .
  20. ↑ Press release on the opening of the BIVRC ( Memento from October 25, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
  21. ↑ Profile page of Boehringer Ingelheim's Dortmund location , accessed on December 27, 2017.
  22. ^ Gunnar Menkens: Raising hands for Boehringer . In: Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung , September 18, 2009. Accessed July 1, 2012. 
  23. ^ Organization of Boehringer Ingelheim RCV. In: www.boehringer-ingelheim.at. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015 ; Retrieved November 5, 2013 .
  24. ↑ No pink Viagra, but sexually stimulating. ZEIT online from September 19, 2009, accessed on December 2, 2013
  25. ↑ Antidepressant makes women want to be. Focus Online November 16, 2009, accessed December 2, 2013.
  26. ↑ New pleasure pill for women successfully tested. Die Welt online from October 12, 2011, accessed on December 2, 2013
  27. ↑ Donation: Uni Mainz receives 100 million euros for research center . In: FAZ , February 6, 2009. ISSN  0174-4909 . Retrieved July 1, 2012. 
  28. ↑ Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation is again funding the life sciences at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz with 50 million euros. In: http://www.uni-mainz.de . Retrieved February 1, 2015 .
  29. ↑ CHA 2013. In: www.corporate-health-award.de. Retrieved December 9, 2013 .
  30. ↑ Corporate Health Award: Germany's healthiest company. In: Handelsblatt . Retrieved December 9, 2013 .
  31. ↑ Cordt Schnibben: The death from Ingelheim . In: Der Spiegel . No. 31 , 1991, pp. 102 ff . ( online ).
  32. ↑ An unfortunate story . In: Der Spiegel . No. 48 , 1992, pp. 64 ff . ( online ).
  33. ^ Uwe Bahnsen: The city and the dioxin - a long connection. In: welt.de. November 23, 2018, accessed November 21, 2019 .
  34. ↑ U. Manuwald, D. Wilken, H. Zhang, X. Baur: Scientific evaluation of the Hamburg dioxin cohort. Final report. In: Research report 422 occupational safety. Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (BMAS), January 11, 2011, accessed on November 21, 2019 . ISSN 0174-4992. P. 8.
  35. ↑ Geli Tangermann: Boehringer scandal: Moorfleet: The deadly legacy of the poison factory. In: MOPO.de. Retrieved April 13, 2016 .
  36. ↑ Kühleis / Schenk / Zimpelmann (1994), "From ecological ignorance to integrated environmental protection? The Boehringer case", ISSN 0724-5084, Berlin 1994, FS II 94-201 in the series of publications by the Labor Regulation department of the Technology-Work-Environment research focus of the Berlin Science Center for Social Research.
  37. ^ A. Manz et al.: Cancer mortality among workers in chemical plant contaminated with dioxin In: The Lancet Volume 338, Issue 8773, 1991, pp. 959-964 doi : 10.1016 / 0140-6736 (91) 91835-I
  38. ↑ U. Manuwald, D. Wilken, H. Zhang, X. Baur: Scientific evaluation of the Hamburg dioxin cohort. Final report. In: Research report 422 occupational safety. Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (BMAS), January 11, 2011, accessed on November 21, 2019 . ISSN 0174-4992. Pp. 26-27, 32-42.
  39. ↑ Horst Stern: Tierversuche. Rowohlt Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH, Reinbek near Hamburg 1981, ISBN 3-499-17406-5 , p. 175.
  40. ↑ HAZ newspaper report on the occupation of the premises in Hanover
  41. ↑ HAZ newspaper report on the evacuation
  42. ↑ Boehringer is blocking access to AIDS syrup for children. (PDF; 493 kB) In: bukopharma.de. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015 ; Retrieved July 1, 2012 .
  43. ↑ Jutta Hoffritz: 256 people worldwide die after treatment with Pradaxa . ZEIT Online from November 11, 2011.
  44. ↑ Hartmut Wewetzer , Alina Schadwinkel: Pradaxa is no more dangerous than other blood thinners . ZEIT Online from November 15, 2011.
  45. ^ "Boehringer suffers from the wave of lawsuits in America" Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung of September 14, 2014
  46. ↑ "Dabigatran: Less brain bleeding but more gastrointestinal bleeding in old age" Ärzte-Zeitung from May 14, 2014
  47. ↑ Anticoagulant Pradaxa: Comparison costs Boehringer Ingelheim almost half a billion. In: http://www.faz.net . May 29, 2014, accessed May 21, 2015 .

Coordinates: 49 ° 58 ′ 32.5 "  N , 8 ° 2 ′ 39.4"  E