AstraZeneca vs Novartis: Founders, CEOs and History

Company facts

Founders

CEOs and their tenures

Timeline: AstraZeneca and Novartis side by side

1. 1859Novartis

   Founding of Ciba

   Silk dyer Alexander Clavel began producing the synthetic dye fuchsine in Basel, Switzerland, marking the origin of Ciba, part of the Ciba-Geigy half of the Novartis merger.

2. 1886Novartis

   Founding of Sandoz

   Alfred Kern and Edouard Sandoz founded the chemical company Kern & Sandoz in Basel, establishing the second half of the corporate lineage that would eventually merge to form Novartis.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 1996Novartis

   Merger of Ciba-Geigy and Sandoz

   Ciba-Geigy and Sandoz completed their merger in December 1996, a deal valued at roughly $27 billion, creating Novartis AG.

6. 1999AstraZeneca

   Astra and Zeneca Merge to Form AstraZeneca

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

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 2006Novartis

   Acquisition of Chiron Corporation

   Novartis acquired the US biotechnology company Chiron Corporation for $5.1 billion, significantly expanding its vaccine and oncology franchises.

10. 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.

11. 2010Novartis

    Acquisition of Alcon

    Novartis completed the acquisition of the remaining stake in Alcon, the world's largest eye care company, for approximately $28 billion, creating a dominant position in ophthalmology.

12. 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.

13. 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.

14. 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.

15. 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.

16. 2015Novartis

    DOJ Settlement

    Novartis paid $390 million to resolve US allegations that it gave kickbacks to specialty pharmacies to promote Exjade and Myfortic.

17. 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.

18. 2018Novartis

    Vas Narasimhan Appointed CEO

    Vas Narasimhan became CEO at age 41, one of the youngest leaders of a major pharmaceutical company, initiating a strategic review that would eventually lead to the Sandoz spin-off.

19. 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.

20. 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.

21. 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.

22. 2023Novartis

    Acquisition of Chinook Therapeutics

    Novartis acquired Chinook Therapeutics for $3.2 billion upfront plus $300 million in milestones, securing late-stage assets for rare kidney diseases.

23. 2023Novartis

    Spin-off of Sandoz

    On October 4, 2023, Novartis completed the 100% spin-off of its Sandoz generics division, transforming into a pure-play innovative medicines company.

24. 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.

25. 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.

26. 2024Novartis

    Acquisition of MorphoSys

    Novartis acquired German biotech MorphoSys for about EUR 2.7 billion ($2.9 billion), adding the investigational myelofibrosis drug pelabresib.

27. 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.

28. 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.

29. 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.

30. 2025Novartis

    FY2025 Financial Results

    Novartis reported FY2025 net sales of $54.5 billion, up 8%, with a core operating margin above 40% and free cash flow of $17.6 billion.

31. 2025Novartis

    Entresto Generic Entry

    US generic versions of Entresto, Novartis's largest product, launched in 2025, starting the steepest patent cliff in the company's post-Sandoz history.

32. 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.

33. 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.

34. 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.

35. 2026Novartis

    Avidity Biosciences Acquisition Closes

    On February 27, 2026, Novartis completed its roughly $12 billion acquisition of Avidity Biosciences, adding antibody-oligonucleotide conjugates for DM1, Duchenne and FSHD.

36. 2026Novartis

    HARBOR Phase 3 Miss

    In September 2026, del-desiran missed the primary endpoint of the 159-patient Phase 3 HARBOR trial in myotonic dystrophy type 1, and NVS shares fell about 12.5% in pre-market trading.

Acquisitions

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