Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Company History
Regeneron History: Founding, Growth & Key Milestones
Founded 1988 in New York City, New York, United States
When was Regeneron founded?
Regeneron was founded in 1988 in New York City, New York, United States by Leonard S. Schleifer and George D. Yancopoulos, making it 38 years old.
- Founded
- 1988
- Founding place
- New York City, New York, United States
- Founders
- Leonard S. Schleifer and George D. Yancopoulos
- Headquarters today
- Tarrytown, New York
- Milestones documented
- 12 (1988–2026)
- Current CEO
- Leonard S. Schleifer
- Acquisitions
- 3
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1988 | Regeneron is founded |
| 1991 | Regeneron goes public |
| 2008 | Arcalyst becomes Regeneron's first approved medicine |
| 2011 | EYLEA approval transforms the company |
| 2017 | Dupixent is approved |
| 2020 | COVID-19 Antibody Authorization |
| 2022 | Checkmate Pharmaceuticals deal expands immuno-oncology |
| 2023 | Decibel Therapeutics acquisition closes |
| 2023 | EYLEA HD is approved |
| 2024 | Regeneron Cell Medicines is formed |
| 2025 | Revenue reaches $14.34 billion |
| 2026 | Q2 2026 revenue rises 17% to $4.3 billion |
- Where was Regeneron founded?
- Regeneron was founded in New York City, New York, United States in 1988.
- Who founded Regeneron?
- Regeneron was founded by Leonard S. Schleifer and George D. Yancopoulos.
- When did Regeneron start?
- Regeneron was founded in 1988.
- How old is Regeneron?
- Regeneron is 38 years old as of 2026.
Founding Story
Leonard Schleifer, a neurologist who had trained at the University of Virginia and Cornell, started Regeneron in New York in 1988 to work on neurotrophic factors that might regenerate nerve cells. The name joins "regenerate" and "neuron". He recruited Columbia scientist George Yancopoulos in 1989. The early neurology programs failed in the clinic, and the company spent years building antibody and "trap" technologies before its first approval, Arcalyst, in 2008 and EYLEA in 2011.
Founders
Leonard S. Schleifer
Leonard S. Schleifer founded Regeneron in 1988 and has led it as CEO since then, making him one of the longest-serving founder-CEOs in the S&P 500. He is also President and Board co-Chair. He guided the company through early clinical failures, its 1991 IPO, and its growth into a $14 billion-revenue biotech. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).
George D. Yancopoulos
George D. Yancopoulos joined Regeneron in 1989 as its founding scientist and serves as Board co-Chair, President and Chief Scientific Officer. He led development of the VelociSuite technologies and the research behind EYLEA, Dupixent and other Regeneron medicines, and is a member of the National Academy of Sciences. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).
Key Milestones
Regeneron is founded
Leonard S. Schleifer founded Regeneron in New York in 1988; George D. Yancopoulos joined in 1989.
Source: investor.regeneron.comRegeneron goes public
The company listed on Nasdaq and funded a long period of platform research before becoming a commercial biotech.
Source: sec.govArcalyst becomes Regeneron's first approved medicine
Arcalyst validated Regeneron's trap-technology work and showed that the platform could produce approved therapies.
Source: sec.govEYLEA approval transforms the company
EYLEA gave Regeneron a major ophthalmology franchise and moved the company into large-scale commercial operations.
Source: sec.govDupixent is approved
Dupixent, developed with Sanofi, became a global immunology growth engine and a central part of Regeneron's collaboration economics.
Source: sec.govCOVID-19 Antibody Authorization
The FDA granted emergency use authorization to Regeneron's COVID-19 antibody treatment in November 2020.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgCheckmate Pharmaceuticals deal expands immuno-oncology
Regeneron agreed to acquire Checkmate Pharmaceuticals for about $250 million to add the investigational TLR9 agonist vidutolimod.
Source: investor.regeneron.comDecibel Therapeutics acquisition closes
Regeneron completed its acquisition of Decibel Therapeutics and added hearing-loss gene-therapy programs, including investigational DB-OTO in Phase 1/2 CHORD. It was not an approved therapy.
Source: investor.regeneron.comEYLEA HD is approved
The FDA approved EYLEA HD (aflibercept 8 mg) in August 2023, giving Regeneron a longer-dosing successor to EYLEA.
Source: investor.regeneron.comRegeneron Cell Medicines is formed
Regeneron acquired full development and commercialization rights to 2seventy bio's cell-therapy platforms and pipeline programs.
Source: investor.regeneron.comRevenue reaches $14.34 billion
Regeneron reported FY2025 revenue of about $14.34 billion, with Dupixent growth offsetting pressure in the original EYLEA franchise.
Source: investor.regeneron.comQ2 2026 revenue rises 17% to $4.3 billion
Dupixent global sales reached $6.0 billion and the Sanofi development balance was fully repaid by the end of the quarter.
Source: nasdaq.comMajor Acquisitions
Checkmate Pharmaceuticals
2022Add investigational innate immune activation work for oncology combinations.
Decibel Therapeutics
2023Expand genetic-medicine and hearing-loss programs.
2seventy bio platforms and pipeline rights
2024Create Regeneron Cell Medicines and bring cell-therapy programs in-house.
Keep researching Regeneron
Regeneron Company History FAQ
What are the major historical milestones in the evolution of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.?
Key milestones include the 1988 founding, Yancopoulos joining in 1989, the 1991 Nasdaq IPO, ARCALYST approval in 2008, EYLEA in 2011, Dupixent in 2017, REGEN-COV in 2020, EYLEA HD in 2023 and FY2025 revenue of $14.34 billion.
How did the 2011 FDA approval of EYLEA (aflibercept) transform Regeneron into a commercial biotech giant?
In November 2011, the FDA approved EYLEA for wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD). EYLEA's superior visual acuity gains and convenient 8-week dosing transformed retinal medicine, capturing billions in market share and transforming Regeneron into a highly profitable commercial leader.
How did the 2017 FDA approval of Dupixent (dupilumab) create a multi-billion-dollar immunology franchise?
The FDA approved Dupixent for moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis in March 2017. Regeneron and Sanofi then added asthma, nasal polyps, eosinophilic esophagitis, prurigo nodularis and COPD, and global sales reached $6.0 billion in Q2 2026 alone.
What is the Regeneron Genetics Center?
Founded in 2014, the Regeneron Genetics Center sequences large human cohorts with partners such as UK Biobank and Geisinger to find genetically validated drug targets.
What was the historic impact of REGEN-COV during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-2021?
In 2020, Regeneron mobilized its entire scientific workforce to develop REGEN-COV, a dual monoclonal antibody cocktail that prevented COVID-19 infection, reduced hospitalizations by 70%, and was famously administered to US President Donald Trump and hundreds of thousands of high-risk patients under FDA Emergency Use Authorization.
How did Regeneron achieve FDA approval for EYLEA HD in August 2023?
After a June 2023 complete response letter tied to a third-party fill site, the FDA approved EYLEA HD (aflibercept 8 mg) in August 2023 for wet AMD, diabetic macular edema and diabetic retinopathy, with dosing intervals up to 16 weeks after loading doses.
What has Regeneron reported for the DB-OTO hearing-loss gene therapy?
DB-OTO is an investigational AAV gene therapy for OTOF-related congenital hearing loss. Regeneron has reported hearing improvements in children in the Phase 1/2 CHORD trial, but the therapy is not approved.
What is Regeneron Pharmaceuticals' strategic vision for the future of medicine?
Regeneron's forward vision is to harness the power of human genetics, advanced monoclonal and bispecific antibodies, and in-vivo gene editing to invent curative medicines for cancer, blinding eye diseases, neurodegeneration, metabolic disorders, and rare genetic diseases worldwide.
When and where was Regeneron founded?
Regeneron was founded in 1988 in New York City by neurologist Dr. Leonard S. Schleifer, M.D., Ph.D., soon establishing its primary research laboratories in Tarrytown, Westchester County, New York.
Who is Dr. George Yancopoulos and when did he join Regeneron?
Dr. George D. Yancopoulos, M.D., Ph.D., joined Regeneron in 1989 as Chief Scientific Officer at age 29, becoming co-founder and the legendary scientific visionary who designed Regeneron’s proprietary drug discovery engines.
What is the proprietary VelociSuite technology platform?
Developed in the late 1990s and 2000s, VelociSuite (including VelocImmune and VelociGene) genetically humanizes mice to rapidly generate fully human monoclonal antibodies against any disease target, cutting drug development timelines by years.
When did Eylea receive FDA approval and what was its impact?
In November 2011, the FDA approved Eylea (aflibercept) for wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD); Eylea prevented blindness in millions of patients, generated billions in annual revenues, and transformed Regeneron into a profitable commercial powerhouse.
What was the landmark Sanofi collaboration that produced Dupixent?
Regeneron partnered with French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi in 2007 to co-develop fully human monoclonal antibodies, creating blockbuster drug Dupixent (dupilumab, approved in 2017), which became a multi-billion-dollar treatment for eczema, asthma, and COPD.
How did Regeneron contribute to combating the COVID-19 pandemic?
In 2020, using its VelocImmune platform, Regeneron developed REGEN-COV (casirivimab and imdevimab) in record time, an antibody cocktail that significantly reduced hospitalization and death in high-risk patients and was authorized globally.
What is the Regeneron Genetics Center (RGC)?
Founded in 2014, the Regeneron Genetics Center is one of the world’s largest human genomic sequencing databases, sequencing exomes from over two million volunteer participants (including the UK Biobank) to discover validated drug targets.
How does Regeneron’s founder-led leadership compare to big pharma peers?
Unlike traditional pharmaceutical companies that rotate commercial marketing executives into CEO roles, Regeneron has been led continuously for over 35 years by practicing physician-scientists Dr. Leonard Schleifer and Dr. George Yancopoulos.
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