Becoming AstraZeneca

Since 1912, AstraZeneca has been committed to patient health by continually working to discover, develop, and deliver innovative healthcare solutions that help enrich the lives of patients, families, and communities.

In order to recount the rich history of AstraZeneca, it is necessary to also tell the story of each of the companies on which our current mission was built, along with the history of resulting mergers, acquisitions, and milestones.

Corporate evolution

In 1912, Atlas Powder Company was created in Wilmington, Delaware, when DuPont Company sold two explosives divisions, as mandated by "trust busting" enactments during the Theodore Roosevelt presidency. In the 1960s, Atlas Powder Company changed its corporate name to Atlas Chemical Industries and purchased The Stuart Company.

The Stuart Company was renamed Stuart Pharmaceuticals, and became a division of Atlas Chemical Industries, with headquarters in Pasadena, California. An R&D unit dedicated to new drug research was established in Wilmington as part of Atlas’ R&D facilities. It was acquired in 1972 by ICI.

Astra AB

In 1913, Astra AB, a small pharmaceutical company, was founded near Stockholm, Sweden. Astra began its own research and development operation in 1931 and entered the export market three years later.

In 1947, Astra USA, the US subsidiary of Astra AB, was incorporated and began operations in Worcester, Massachusetts. In 1981, Astra USA built new manufacturing facilities and a headquarters building in Westborough, Massachusetts. The following year, Astra AB and Merck signed a definitive agreement covering clinical trials, registration, and marketing in the US of products resulting from Astra's research. Astra/Merck (A/M), a new entity, was established in 1992 to market Astra products in the United States. Astra Merck Inc., a free-standing joint venture between Astra AB and Merck, was formed in 1994 as a new pharmaceutical company, focusing exclusively on marketing, sales, and drug development. In 1998, Astra Merck Inc. and Astra USA combined to form Astra Pharmaceuticals, LP, the US subsidiary of Astra AB. The new company was a limited partnership between Astra and Merck.

ICI was formed in the UK in 1926. Ten years later, ICI formed a research organization to synthesize medically active compounds, and later to develop drugs. In 1967, ICI established a US presence in Stamford, Connecticut. A year later, the company created a US business unit, called ICI America (later called ICI United States, then ICI Americas).

In 1972, ICI acquired Atlas Chemical Industries, and moved the US headquarters of ICI America from Stamford to the Fairfax campus in Wilmington, Delaware. Headquarters of the Stuart Pharmaceuticals Division was also relocated from Pasadena to offices in Concord Plaza in Wilmington, Delaware.

Zeneca

In 1992, in the US, ICI Americas Inc. changed its name to Zeneca Inc. and then created a new company to be called ICI Americas Inc., both owned by ICI PLC. Zeneca comprised ICI’s bioscience businesses, while ICI Americas Inc. incorporated ICI’s chemical businesses. In 1993, Zeneca Group PLC and ICI PLC formally demerged into two separate and independent companies. Zeneca Group PLC became a global bioscience company based in the UK with businesses in pharmaceuticals, agricultural chemicals, and specialty chemicals. In the US, Zeneca Inc. took over the former ICI Americas Inc. headquarters complex in Fairfax. Zeneca’s pharmaceuticals group in the US was renamed Zeneca Pharmaceuticals.

The next year, Zeneca Holdings formed Stuart Disease Management Services (SDMS) in the US, providing disease management programs and services to managed care and other healthcare companies. In 1995, Zeneca acquired a 50% stake in Salick Healthcare, Inc., a leading cancer treatment organization with comprehensive cancer centers located in major cities throughout the US Zeneca acquired the balance of Salick in 1996.

Retired hosiery magnate Arthur Hanisch, famous for the invention of Bobbie Sox, created The Stuart Company in Pasadena, California, in 1941. Stuart manufactured and marketed the first stable liquid multivitamin, called The Stuart Formula.* Hanisch’s original $2,500 investment in The Stuart Formula generated $200,000 in sales in its first year.

In the 1950s, The Stuart Company launched several innovative pharmaceutical products, including the first chewable vitamin tablet, first capsule-shaped tablet, first effervescent laxative formulation, and first instant liquid vitamin mix. Hanisch also undertook a personal philanthropic project with heart transplant pioneer Michael DeBakey to develop the first synthetic arterial graft made of tube-knitted Dacron. It was purchased by Atlas Chemical Industries in the 1960s.

AstraZeneca—as we know it, today

On April 6, 1999, the merger of Zeneca group PLC and Astra AB was accepted by both companies’ shareholders and trading began on the New York Stock Exchange. The new symbol of the company is "AZN". On April 29, 1999, Wilmington, Delaware, was selected as the site for the company’s US headquarters..

*No longer marketed by AstraZeneca