Pharmacia
Former Swedish pharmaceutical and biotechnology company whose businesses passed through several major mergers before the pharmaceutical operations became part of Pfizer in 2003.
Last updated August 21, 2026
AI crawler reads
3requests
1companies- Anthropic3
- Profile
- 3
- Controversies
- 0
- JSON · MD
- 0
- First read
- Nov 4, 2026
- Latest read
- Nov 4, 2026
From this site's server log
Overview
Pharmacia was a Swedish pharmaceutical and biotechnology company founded in Stockholm in 1911 by pharmacist Gustav Felix Grönfeldt. Its name was derived from the Greek term pharmakeia. The company initially earned substantial revenue from medicinal products such as Phospho-Energon, but its long-term development was shaped more decisively by close cooperation with Swedish university researchers and by the commercialization of dextran-based technologies. During the Second World War, chemist Björn Ingelman and medical researcher Anders Grönwall investigated dextran and identified its potential as a plasma substitute for blood transfusions. Pharmacia commercialized this work with Macrodex, launched in 1947. The product helped establish the company in hospital and clinical markets and gave dextran products an important role in its subsequent expansion. In 1951, Pharmacia moved from Stockholm to Uppsala, partly to work more closely with researchers at Uppsala University. Ingelman later became the company's head of research. Pharmacia also became an important supplier to the emerging life-science research sector. In 1959, it introduced Sephadex, a gel-filtration medium based on cross-linked dextran. Sephadex and related chromatography materials became widely used for separating and purifying biological molecules. Pharmacia Fine Chemicals was established in Uppsala in 1967. Its acquisition of LKB-produkter AB in 1986 led to the creation of Pharmacia Biotech, broadening the company's activities into laboratory instruments, chromatography, electrophoresis, molecular biology reagents and other biotechnology tools. The business also acquired PL Laboratories from Pabst Brewing Company, adding recombinant-DNA research products. The pharmaceutical company went through a series of restructurings and combinations. After the sale of Pharmacia to private interests in the 1990s, it was combined with Kabi Vitrum to form Kabi Pharmacia. In 1993, Kabi Pharmacia acquired Farmitalia, an Italian pharmaceutical company associated with doxorubicin, an important cancer medicine. Pharmacia then merged with the American company Upjohn in 1995, creating Pharmacia & Upjohn and moving the combined headquarters to London. In 1998, the pharmaceutical and scientific-instrument activities were separated. The pharmaceutical operation continued as Pharmacia & Upjohn, while the scientific business was acquired by Amersham and renamed Amersham Pharmacia Biotech. That business later became Amersham Biosciences, and its life-science operations eventually passed to GE Healthcare and, after a 2020 ownership change, to Danaher's Cytiva. The pharmaceutical company itself was acquired by Pfizer in 2003. Pharmacia therefore survives primarily as a historical corporate and product identity, while parts of its former pharmaceutical and biotechnology portfolios continue under successor companies.
History
Pharmacia began in 1911 at the Elgen Pharmacy in Stockholm, where pharmacist Gustav Felix Grönfeldt established the company. The early business included proprietary medicines, with Phospho-Energon among the products that contributed materially to its initial revenue. The company's later identity, however, was built around scientific collaboration and the commercialization of technologies emerging from Swedish research institutions. A decisive development occurred during the Second World War. Björn Ingelman, working with Arne Tiselius at Uppsala University, studied dextran, while physician and researcher Anders Grönwall examined its medical applications. Their work showed that dextran could function as a plasma substitute in transfusion medicine. Pharmacia became involved in 1943, and four years later launched Macrodex, a dextran solution. This product gave the relatively small Swedish company an internationally relevant hospital offering and created a foundation for further dextran-based products. Pharmacia moved to Uppsala in 1951 to be closer to the scientists with whom it collaborated. Ingelman became head of research, reinforcing the company's research-led operating model. In 1959, Pharmacia introduced Sephadex, a gel-filtration medium developed from dextran research associated with Jerker Porath and Per Flodin in Tiselius's scientific environment. Sephadex became an important tool for separating biological molecules and helped establish Pharmacia as a supplier not only to medicine but also to laboratories and the growing biotechnology industry. The company formalized this scientific-materials activity by creating Pharmacia Fine Chemicals in Uppsala in 1967. In 1986, Pharmacia Fine Chemicals acquired LKB-produkter AB and adopted the name Pharmacia Biotech. The expanded business supplied chromatography resins, purification equipment, electrophoresis systems, molecular-biology reagents and related research products. Its purchase of PL Laboratories from Pabst Brewery added specialist recombinant-DNA chemicals and strengthened its position during the development of commercial biotechnology. During the 1990s, Pharmacia underwent ownership changes and corporate combinations. It was combined with Kabi Vitrum to form Kabi Pharmacia, and in 1993 Kabi Pharmacia acquired Farmitalia of Italy. Farmitalia had developed doxorubicin, an anthracycline chemotherapy drug that became an important part of the combined pharmaceutical heritage. In 1995, Pharmacia merged with Upjohn, creating Pharmacia & Upjohn and relocating the headquarters to London. The 1998 reorganization separated the pharmaceutical and scientific businesses. Pharmacia & Upjohn retained the drug operations, while the laboratory and biotechnology activities were acquired by Amersham and renamed Amersham Pharmacia Biotech. The latter became Amersham Biosciences and ultimately passed through GE Healthcare Life Sciences to Cytiva after Danaher's acquisition of the GE business in 2020. The pharmaceutical company was acquired by Pfizer in 2003. Pharmacia consequently became a defunct independent company, although its products, technologies and corporate descendants continued in Pfizer and in successor life-science businesses.
- 2020
Amersham lineage becomes Cytiva
[1]Following Danaher's acquisition of GE Healthcare Life Sciences, the former Amersham Pharmacia Biotech lineage operated under the Cytiva name from April 1, 2020.
- 2003
Pharmacia is acquired by Pfizer
[1]Pfizer acquired Pharmacia, ending the company's independent corporate existence.
- 1998
Scientific businesses are separated
[1]Amersham acquired the scientific-instrument activities and renamed them Amersham Pharmacia Biotech, while the drug business continued as Pharmacia & Upjohn.
- 1995
Merger with Upjohn
[1]Pharmacia merged with Upjohn and became Pharmacia & Upjohn.
- 1993
Kabi Pharmacia acquires Farmitalia
[1]The acquisition added Farmitalia's pharmaceutical activities, including its association with doxorubicin development.
- 1986
Pharmacia Biotech is formed
[1]After acquiring LKB-produkter AB, Pharmacia Fine Chemicals changed its name to Pharmacia Biotech.
- 1967
Pharmacia Fine Chemicals is established
[1]The company created Pharmacia Fine Chemicals in Uppsala to develop and market scientific and biochemical products.
- 1959
Sephadex is introduced
[1]Pharmacia pioneered gel filtration with Sephadex, a dextran-based medium for laboratory separation and purification.
- 1951
Company relocates to Uppsala
[1]Pharmacia moved to Uppsala to strengthen its relationship with university researchers.
- 1947
Macrodex launches
[1]Pharmacia launched Macrodex, a dextran solution for plasma-volume replacement and transfusion-related medical use.
Products and positioning
A research-oriented Swedish pharmaceutical and biotechnology company that combined hospital medicines with enabling technologies for biochemical research, purification and molecular biology.
Hospital medicine · 1947
Macrodex
Macrodex was a dextran solution introduced by Pharmacia in 1947. It was developed as a plasma substitute and volume-expanding product for transfusion-related and hospital applications. Its launch represented the first major commercial outcome of Pharmacia's collaboration with Swedish researchers studying dextran.
Biotechnology research reagent · 1959
Sephadex
Sephadex was a cross-linked dextran gel used for gel filtration, a method of separating molecules by size. Introduced in 1959, it became one of Pharmacia's signature scientific products and helped establish the company as a supplier to biochemistry, pharmaceutical research and biotechnology laboratories.
Oncology medicine
Doxorubicin
Doxorubicin entered Pharmacia's historical pharmaceutical portfolio through the 1993 acquisition of Farmitalia. It is an anthracycline chemotherapy medicine associated with the treatment of a range of cancers. The product is included here as part of the Farmitalia business inherited by Kabi Pharmacia, rather than as a product originally discovered by Pharmacia itself.
Life-science tools
Pharmacia Biotech chromatography products
The Pharmacia Biotech business supplied chromatography resins, purification equipment and related laboratory technologies. These products supported the separation and purification of proteins and other biological materials and formed a major part of Pharmacia's contribution to the biotechnology research infrastructure.
Life-science tools
Pharmacia Biotech molecular biology and electrophoresis products
Pharmacia Biotech also offered molecular-biology reagents, electrophoresis systems and specialist recombinant-DNA research chemicals. The portfolio expanded through the LKB-produkter and PL Laboratories transactions and was later carried through Amersham and GE Healthcare Life Sciences successor businesses.
Controversies
2022
Los Angeles files lawsuit over alleged PCB contamination
Los Angeles filed a lawsuit against Monsanto Company, Solutia Inc. and Pharmacia LLC, alleging that Monsanto polluted city waterways with PCBs and seeking repayment of cleanup-related costs and abatement of the alleged public nuisance. These are allegations in the lawsuit.
Brand decisions
2003
Sell the company to PfizerM&ABackground
After the Upjohn combination and subsequent restructuring, Pharmacia became a target for further consolidation among global pharmaceutical companies.
Action taken
Pfizer acquired Pharmacia.
Aftermath
Pharmacia ceased to operate as an independent pharmaceutical company, and its pharmaceutical business became part of Pfizer.
1998
Separate pharmaceutical and scientific businessesStrategyBackground
Pharmacia reorganized its activities into a pharmaceutical business and a scientific-instrument and biotechnology business.
Action taken
The pharmaceutical operation continued as Pharmacia & Upjohn, while Amersham acquired the scientific groups and renamed them Amersham Pharmacia Biotech.
Aftermath
The biotechnology and laboratory assets followed a separate corporate succession through Amersham Biosciences and GE Healthcare Life Sciences, while the pharmaceutical operations ultimately entered Pfizer.
1995
Merge with UpjohnM&ABackground
Pharmacia pursued a combination with the American pharmaceutical company Upjohn as part of the consolidation of the international pharmaceutical industry.
Action taken
The companies merged to create Pharmacia & Upjohn and placed the combined headquarters in London.
Aftermath
The merger created a larger international pharmaceutical group that later became the subject of further portfolio separation and Pfizer's 2003 acquisition.
Recent events
- Unconfirmed
Los Angeles files lawsuit over alleged PCB contamination[3]
Los Angeles filed a lawsuit against Monsanto Company, Solutia Inc. and Pharmacia LLC, alleging that Monsanto polluted city waterways with PCBs and seeking repayment of cleanup-related costs and abatement of the alleged public nuisance. These are allegations in the lawsuit.
Sources3 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/pharmacia · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled