The Israel based Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., a global pharmaceutical company specializing in the development, production and marketing of generic and proprietary branded pharmaceuticals and active pharmaceutical ingredients, is among the top 20 pharmaceutical companies and among the largest generic pharmaceutical companies in the world.
With more than a century of experience in the healthcare industry, the Company enjoys a firmly established international presence, operating through a carefully tailored network of worldwide subsidiaries. Headquartered in Israel, 90% of Teva's sales, which totaled US$5.3 billion in 2005, are in North America and Europe. Teva has approximately 25,000 employees worldwide and production facilities in Israel, North America, Europe and Latin America.
In the year 2000, Teva's acquisition of Novopharm in Canada, together with its Hungarian subsidiary Teva Pharmaceutical Works Ltd. Hungary (formerly Human Ltd), led Teva to become the largest generic pharmaceutical company in North America.
Teva continued to expand its presence worldwide with the acquisition in 2002 of Teva Classics (previously Bayer) in France, which included the Teva Sante' manufacturing plant in Sens. And finally the acquisition of the Honeywell Fine Pharmaceutical Chemical plants in northern Italy, renamed Teva PFC, has added to the range of Teva's API products manufactured worldwide.
In 2004, Sicor became a wholly owned subsidiary of Teva. This acquisition brought together two premier generic pharmaceutical companies, combining Teva's successful oral dose generic drugs franchise with Sicor's leading generic injectable business. In addition, both the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) businesses and Sicor's biogenerics capabilities help to enhance and expand the combined company's product offerings.
In January this year, the acquisition of Ivax Corporation was finalized and Ivax is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Teva.
Teva now operate directly in over 50 countries, and employs approximately 25,000 people. The combined company will offer the widest range of cost-effective pharmaceuticals, both generic and branded, to consumers, customers, and healthcare providers. Teva has major manufacturing and marketing facilities in Israel, Europe and the US. Teva is among the most traded shares on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange and among the most widely held Israeli shares on NASDAQ. It is also traded on Seaq International in London and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.
Teva produces generic drugs in all major therapeutics and steriles in a variety of dosage forms, from tablets and capsules to ointments, creams and liquids. In addition, Teva manufactures innovative drugs in niche markets where it has a relative advantage in research and development. Teva competitively distributes its API to manufacturers worldwide as well as supports its own pharmaceutical production. These activities, which comprise the core businesses of the company, account for 90% of Teva's total sales.
Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, the company's wholly-owned American subsidiary, is the jewel in the crown of Teva's international efforts in the generic pharmaceuticals arena and one of the most successful manufacturers and distributors of generic drugs in the U.S. Teva USA is an integral part of Teva North America which encompasses the USA and Canada.
The company's impressive line offers the discerning American consumer an extensive portfolio of competitively priced products in diverse dosage forms.
Teva's forays into the European market include the acquisitions of the Dutch industry heavyweight Pharmachemie B.V., Teva Pharmaceuticals Germany GmbH (formerly GRY-Pharm), Teva UK Limited (formerly APS/Berk) in the UK, Teva Pharmaceutical Works Ltd. in Hungary (formerly Biogal) and others. Through these acquisitions, Teva has successfully established a broad network of subsidiaries across Europe, each attuned to the specific needs of its local customer base.
Teva's innovative products are developed for specialized markets with the current focus on neurological disorders and auto-immune diseases. Maintaining ongoing collaborative efforts with Israel's major universities, hospitals and research institutes is an important core element of Teva's approach to innovative Research and Development. Currently, Teva has novel treatments for MS, Parkinson's Disease (PD), Alzheimer's disease (AD), epilepsy and other CNS indications as well as Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in clinical research phases.
In addition to the production and sale of finished pharmaceutical products, Teva is a large manufacturer and provider of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients, the vital raw materials of the drug manufacturing industry. In addition to supplying a major share of Teva's own needs, the API division is an active competitor in world markets, investing both in the development of new products and manufacturing processes and in the upgrading ofproduction facilities.