AstraZeneca vs Bristol-Myers Squibb: Founders, CEOs and History

Company facts

Founders

CEOs and their tenures

Timeline: AstraZeneca and Bristol-Myers Squibb side by side

1. 1858Bristol-Myers Squibb

   Edward Robinson Squibb opens his Brooklyn laboratory

   Navy surgeon Edward Robinson Squibb started making pure ether and other medicines in Brooklyn. The laboratory burned down on Christmas Eve 1858 and reopened in 1859 after local doctors and surgeons contributed $2,100.

2. 1887Bristol-Myers Squibb

   Bristol and Myers buy the Clinton Pharmaceutical Company

   Hamilton College graduates William McLaren Bristol and John Ripley Myers bought the Clinton Pharmaceutical Company of Clinton, New York, the business that became Bristol-Myers.

3. 1898Bristol-Myers Squibb

   Bristol, Myers and Company is named

   The founders renamed the business Bristol, Myers and Company in May 1898. After Myers died in 1899 it became Bristol-Myers, which built national brands in Sal Hepatica and, from 1901, Ipana toothpaste.

4. 1913AstraZeneca

   Astra AB Founded in Södertälje, Sweden

   400 doctors and apothecaries establish Astra AB to manufacture pharmaceuticals for the Swedish market, creating the foundation for what would become one of Europe's largest drug companies.

5. 1944Bristol-Myers Squibb

   Penicillin at wartime scale

   Squibb opened what was then the world's largest penicillin plant in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Bristol-Myers had bought Cheplin Biological Laboratories in East Syracuse, New York, in 1943 and converted it to penicillin for Allied forces.

6. 1989Bristol-Myers Squibb

   Bristol-Myers and Squibb merge

   Bristol-Myers and Squibb combined to form Bristol-Myers Squibb, uniting a consumer and pharmaceutical company with a research-led drugmaker.

7. 1993AstraZeneca

   Zeneca Group Spun Off from ICI

   Imperial Chemical Industries demerges its pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals businesses to form Zeneca Group PLC, with initial products including Zestril, Nolvadex, and Zoladex generating approximately $3.2 billion in annual sales.

8. 1999AstraZeneca

   Astra and Zeneca Merge to Form AstraZeneca

   The all-share merger of equals completes on 6 April 1999, creating AstraZeneca PLC.

9. 2000AstraZeneca

   Nexium Launch Replaces Prilosec

   AstraZeneca launches Nexium (esomeprazole), the single-isomer successor to Losec/Prilosec, in Europe in 2000 and in the United States in 2001 after FDA approval on 20 February 2001.

10. 2006AstraZeneca

    Acquisition of Cambridge Antibody Technology

    AstraZeneca agrees in May 2006 to buy Cambridge Antibody Technology for 1,320 pence a share, valuing the UK biotech at 702 million pounds or about $1.32 billion.

11. 2006Bristol-Myers Squibb

    CEO Peter Dolan removed over the Plavix deal

    After an FBI raid in July 2006 over a patent settlement with generic maker Apotex on the blood thinner Plavix, the federal monitor urged the board to remove CEO Peter Dolan, who stepped down on September 12, 2006.

12. 2007AstraZeneca

    Acquisition of MedImmune for $15.6 Billion

    AstraZeneca acquires MedImmune for $15.6 billion, entering the biologics market and gaining the Synagis respiratory syncytial virus franchise and antibody technology platforms. The Gaithersburg facility becomes one of three global R&D centres.

13. 2009Bristol-Myers Squibb

    Medarex bought and Mead Johnson split off

    BMS bought Medarex, gaining Yervoy and a share of what became Opdivo, and split off Mead Johnson Nutrition in an exchange offer, completing its shift to a specialty biopharmaceutical company.

14. 2011Bristol-Myers Squibb

    FDA approves Yervoy

    Yervoy (ipilimumab) became the first drug shown to extend overall survival in advanced melanoma, opening BMS's immuno-oncology franchise.

15. 2012AstraZeneca

    Pascal Soriot Appointed CEO

    Pascal Soriot joins AstraZeneca as Chief Executive Officer on October 1, 2012, with a base salary of $1.4 million and a mandate to reverse declining revenue and R&D productivity through science-led investment.

16. 2012Bristol-Myers Squibb

    FDA approves Eliquis

    The FDA approved Eliquis (apixaban), developed with Pfizer, in December 2012 for stroke prevention in non-valvular atrial fibrillation. It became BMS's largest product, with $14.4 billion of sales in 2025.

17. 2014AstraZeneca

    Pfizer Hostile Takeover Rejected

    AstraZeneca's board rejects a $117 billion hostile takeover offer from Pfizer, with Soriot arguing that the undervaluation would destroy long-term shareholder value and pipeline potential.

18. 2014AstraZeneca

    Acquisition of Almirall Respiratory Portfolio

    AstraZeneca acquires the respiratory portfolio of Spanish pharmaceutical company Almirall for approximately $2.1 billion, strengthening the company's position in COPD and asthma with products including Eklira and pipeline candidates that become Breztri.

19. 2014Bristol-Myers Squibb

    FDA approves Opdivo

    The FDA approved the PD-1 inhibitor Opdivo (nivolumab) in December 2014 for advanced melanoma. It reached $10.0 billion of sales in 2025.

20. 2015AstraZeneca

    Tagrisso Approved for EGFR-Mutated Lung Cancer

    The FDA approves Tagrisso (osimertinib) in November 2015 for metastatic EGFR T790M mutation-positive non-small cell lung cancer, the first product from Soriot's reinvestment strategy to reach market.

21. 2017AstraZeneca

    Imfinzi Approved Based on PACIFIC Trial

    The FDA approves Imfinzi (durvalumab) for unresectable stage III non-small cell lung cancer after chemoradiation, based on PACIFIC trial data showing survival benefits.

22. 2019Bristol-Myers Squibb

    Celgene acquisition closes

    BMS completed its $74 billion purchase of Celgene on November 20, 2019, adding Revlimid, Pomalyst, Reblozyl and CAR-T programs. Celgene sold Otezla to Amgen for $13.4 billion to win regulatory approval.

23. 2020AstraZeneca

    COVID-19 Vaccine Development with Oxford University

    AstraZeneca partners with the University of Oxford to develop and manufacture the Vaxzevria COVID-19 vaccine, distributing billions of doses globally at nonprofit pricing during the pandemic peak.

24. 2020Bristol-Myers Squibb

    MyoKardia deal and a GAAP loss

    BMS bought MyoKardia for $13.1 billion, gaining mavacamten (Camzyos). The deal's $11.4 billion in-process R&D charge pushed 2020 to a net loss despite $42.5 billion of revenue.

25. 2021AstraZeneca

    Acquisition of Alexion Pharmaceuticals for $39 Billion

    AstraZeneca completes the $39 billion acquisition of Alexion on July 21, 2021, entering the rare disease market with Soliris and Ultomiris and creating a dedicated rare disease unit headquartered in Boston.

26. 2022Bristol-Myers Squibb

    Turning Point bought as Revlimid generics arrive

    BMS completed the $4.1 billion purchase of Turning Point Therapeutics in August 2022 while volume-limited generic lenalidomide began eroding Revlimid, which had peaked at $12.8 billion in 2021.

27. 2023AstraZeneca

    CinCor Pharma Acquired for up to $1.8 Billion

    AstraZeneca agrees on 9 January 2023 to acquire CinCor Pharma for up to $1.8 billion, $26 per share in cash plus a $10 per share contingent value right, to gain baxdrostat, an aldosterone synthase inhibitor for resistant hypertension.

28. 2023Bristol-Myers Squibb

    Chris Boerner becomes CEO

    Chris Boerner succeeded Giovanni Caforio as chief executive in November 2023 and became board chair on April 1, 2024. Weeks earlier BMS had agreed to buy Mirati, and in December it agreed to buy Karuna and RayzeBio.

29. 2024AstraZeneca

    Total Revenue Reaches $54.073 Billion

    AstraZeneca reports Total Revenue of $54.073 billion for fiscal year 2024, an 18% increase at actual rates and 21% at constant exchange rates, with 16 blockbuster medicines, 74 regulatory events, and 24 pipeline progression events.

30. 2024AstraZeneca

    Fusion Pharmaceuticals and Gracell Acquisitions

    AstraZeneca acquires Fusion Pharmaceuticals for $2 billion to access radiopharmaceutical technology and Gracell Biotechnologies for $1.2 billion for cell therapy manufacturing, expanding modality diversity into radiopharmaceuticals and CAR-T.

31. 2024Bristol-Myers Squibb

    Karuna, Mirati and RayzeBio close; Cobenfy approved

    The three deals closed between January and March 2024. On September 26, 2024 the FDA approved Cobenfy, the first schizophrenia drug that targets muscarinic rather than dopamine receptors. The Karuna charge produced an $8.9 billion net loss for 2024.

32. 2025AstraZeneca

    Total Revenue Reaches $58.739 Billion

    AstraZeneca reports Total Revenue of $58.739 billion for fiscal year 2025, an 8% increase at constant exchange rates, with 16 positive Phase III readouts, 43 major market approvals, and a commitment to invest $50 billion in U.S. manufacturing by 2030.

33. 2025AstraZeneca

    EsoBiotec Acquired for Up to $1 Billion

    AstraZeneca acquires Belgian biotech EsoBiotec for up to $1 billion to access in vivo cell therapy technology, eliminating the need for ex vivo manufacturing in CAR-T therapies.

34. 2025AstraZeneca

    $50 Billion US Manufacturing and R&D Commitment

    AstraZeneca announces on 21 July 2025 that it will invest $50 billion in United States manufacturing and research by 2030, including a new Virginia facility later raised to $4.5 billion.

35. 2025Bristol-Myers Squibb

    BioNTech partnership, Orbital deal and $48.2B revenue

    BMS agreed in June 2025 to co-develop BioNTech's bispecific BNT327 and in October 2025 to buy Orbital Therapeutics for $1.5 billion. Full-year revenue was $48.2 billion with the Growth Portfolio up 17 percent.

36. 2026AstraZeneca

    Ordinary Shares Begin Trading on the NYSE

    AstraZeneca ordinary shares start trading on the New York Stock Exchange on 2 February 2026 under the ticker AZN, after the American Depositary Share programme and certain debt securities stopped trading on Nasdaq on 30 January 2026.

37. 2026AstraZeneca

    Baxfendy Approved in the US for Hypertension

    The FDA approves Baxfendy (baxdrostat) in May 2026 as the first aldosterone synthase inhibitor for hypertension, used in combination with other antihypertensives in adults who are not adequately controlled.

38. 2026AstraZeneca

    $15 Billion China Investment Through 2030

    AstraZeneca announces on 29 January 2026 that it will invest $15 billion in China through 2030 to expand manufacturing and research, in a market that is its second largest and about 12% of revenue.

39. 2026Bristol-Myers Squibb

    Guidance raised and merger reports denied

    On July 30, 2026 BMS raised its 2026 revenue guidance to $49.0 to $50.0 billion after second-quarter revenue of $12.97 billion. In August, reports of AstraZeneca merger talks were followed by a senior source telling Reuters there were no discussions.

Acquisitions

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