Company History

Overview

On 7 March 1996, an earthshaking announcement was made to the business world: Sandoz and Ciba-Geigy, the two Swiss-based chemical/life sciences giants, had agreed to become one. Novartis, as the new company was called, was at that time the result of the largest corporate merger in history. Both Sandoz and Ciba-Geigy already had a rich history of their own. This year Novartis celebrates its 10th anniversary.

 

 

Geigy, Ciba and Sandoz (1758-1970)

First there were three companies: Geigy whose history goes back to the middle of the 18th century, Ciba, founded around 1860, and Sandoz, which was set-up in 1886.

Geigy, Ciba and Sandoz (1758-1970)

 

 

Ciba-Geigy and Sandoz (1970-1996)

In 1970 Ciba and Geigy merged. The newly created Ciba-Geigy Ltd. and Sandoz continued to follow separate paths for two and a half decades.

Ciba-Geigy and Sandoz

 

 

Novartis (1996-Present)

In 1996 Sandoz and Ciba joined to form Novartis in one of the largest corporate mergers in history. Since then, Novartis has been marked by many interesting events and success stories.

Novartis (1996-Present)