Novo Nordisk vs Roche: Founders, CEOs and History

Company facts

Founders

CEOs and their tenures

Timeline: Novo Nordisk and Roche side by side

1. 1896Roche

   F. Hoffmann-La Roche Founded in Basel

   Fritz Hoffmann-La Roche founds the enterprise in Basel, Switzerland, pioneering mass-manufactured, chemically standardized prescription pharmaceuticals.

2. 1898Roche

   Commercial Breakthrough with Sirolin

   Roche launches non-prescription cough syrup Sirolin, achieving widespread international distribution and financing early clinical laboratories.

3. 1923Novo Nordisk

   Founding of Nordisk Insulinlaboratorium

   August Krogh and Hans Christian Hagedorn founded the Nordisk Insulinlaboratorium in Copenhagen, securing the licensing rights to produce insulin for the Scandinavian countries.

4. 1925Novo Nordisk

   Founding of Novo Terapeutisk Laboratorium

   Harald Pedersen and a group of Danish physicians founded Novo Terapeutisk Laboratorium to produce insulin and other biological products using industrial-scale fermentation processes.

5. 1934Roche

   First Industrial Synthesis of Vitamin C

   Roche becomes the first company to mass-produce synthetic Vitamin C (Redoxon) at industrial scale, anchoring decades of high-margin global cash flow.

6. 1963Roche

   Launch of Valium (Diazepam)

   Roche introduces Valium, which becomes the world's most widely prescribed psychotropic medication and establishes global pharmaceutical leadership.

7. 1968Roche

   Establishment of Roche Diagnostics

   Roche launches its dedicated diagnostic division, laying the foundation to become the world's preeminent in-vitro diagnostics (IVD) provider.

8. 1989Novo Nordisk

   Merger of Novo and Nordisk

   The $1.5 billion merger of Novo Industri and Nordisk Insulinlaboratorium was completed, creating Novo Nordisk A/S as one of the world's largest insulin manufacturers.

9. 1990Roche

   Majority Stake in Genentech

   Roche bought a majority stake in Genentech in 1990.

10. 1997Roche

    Boehringer Mannheim Acquired

    Roche bought Corange, the parent of Boehringer Mannheim, in 1997 for about $11 billion.

11. 2005Novo Nordisk

    Launch of Insulin detemir (Levemir)

    Novo Nordisk launched Insulin detemir, a long-acting basal insulin analog with a flat action profile and reduced risk of hypoglycemia compared to NPH insulin.

12. 2008Roche

    Severin Schwan becomes CEO

    Severin Schwan became CEO of F. Hoffmann-La Roche in 2008. Led Roche for 14 years; handed over to Thomas Schinecker in March 2023 and became chairman.

13. 2009Novo Nordisk

    Launch of Victoza (liraglutide)

    Novo Nordisk launched Victoza, the first once-daily GLP-1 receptor agonist, marking the company's strategic pivot from insulin to incretin-based therapies.

14. 2009Roche

    Full Acquisition of Genentech for $46.8 Billion

    Roche completes its historic $46.8 billion buyout of American biotechnology pioneer Genentech, securing market leadership in oncology biologics.

15. 2017Novo Nordisk

    Launch of Ozempic (semaglutide)

    Novo Nordisk launched Ozempic, a once-weekly GLP-1 receptor agonist for type 2 diabetes, which became the fastest-growing diabetes drug in history.

16. 2018Roche

    Foundation Medicine & Flatiron Health Acquisitions

    Roche acquires Foundation Medicine and Flatiron Health, integrating real-world oncology data analytics and genomic profiling into personalized healthcare.

17. 2021Novo Nordisk

    Launch of Wegovy (semaglutide 2.4mg)

    Novo Nordisk launched Wegovy, a high-dose formulation of semaglutide for chronic weight management, demonstrating an average weight loss of 14.9% in the STEP-1 trial.

18. 2023Novo Nordisk

    SELECT Trial Results

    Novo Nordisk announced the results of the SELECT trial, demonstrating a 20% reduction in major adverse cardiovascular events for semaglutide 2.4mg in non-diabetic obese patients.

19. 2023Roche

    Acquired Telavant

    F. Hoffmann-La Roche acquired Telavant for $7.1 billion. Roche paid $7.1 billion upfront for Telavant to gain US and Japan rights to the anti-TL1A antibody RVT-3101 (afimkibart) for inflammatory bowel disease.

20. 2024Novo Nordisk

    Catalent Acquisition

    Novo Holdings completed its $16.5 billion acquisition of Catalent in December 2024, and Novo Nordisk bought three Catalent fill-finish sites in Italy, Belgium and Indiana for $11 billion to expand Wegovy and Ozempic capacity.

21. 2024Novo Nordisk

    FY2024 Financial Results

    Novo Nordisk reported FY2024 net sales of ~$44.1 billion (DKK 290.4 billion), up 25% in DKK, and net profit of ~$15.4 billion (DKK 101.0 billion).

22. 2025Novo Nordisk

    CEO Change and Restructuring

    Mike Doustdar replaced Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen as CEO on August 7, 2025, and in September the company announced about 9,000 job cuts. Lars Rebien Sørensen later became board chair after a dispute with the Novo Nordisk Foundation over board composition.

23. 2025Roche

    Group Sales Reach CHF 61.5 Billion

    Under CEO Thomas Schinecker, Roche delivers group sales of ~$73.8 billion (CHF 61.5 billion), driven by ~$57.2B (CHF 47.7B) in Pharmaceuticals and ~$16.6B (CHF 13.8B) in Diagnostics.

24. 2026Novo Nordisk

    Wegovy Pill Launch

    After FDA approval in December 2025, Novo launched the oral Wegovy pill in the US in January 2026; it passed 5 million prescriptions by August 2026 and received EU approval in July 2026.

25. 2026Novo Nordisk

    Capital Markets Day

    On September 21, 2026 Novo set 2030 targets of mid-single-digit sales growth and more than five multi-blockbuster launches; the shares fell about 8%.

Acquisitions

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