Pharmacia & Upjohn

In 1997, the biotechnology division of the company Pharmacia Biotech merged with Amersham Life Science with the new merged entity being known as Amersham Pharmacia Biotech.^[2][3] In 2001, the company was renamed Amersham Biotech.^[4] In 2002, Pharmacia sold its share of the company to Amersham plc.^[5][6] In 2004, Amersham Biosciences was acquired by GE Healthcare.^[7]

In 1998, the nutrition division of the company was sold to Fresenius.^[8]

Monsanto acquired the pharmaceutical company G. D. Searle & Company in 1985.^[9] In 1998, Searle and the Monsanto Pharma Sector partnered with Pfizer to develop and promote celecoxib, an anti-inflammatory drug used to treat arthritis.^[10][11] Branded as Celebrex, celecoxib was approved by the FDA in 1998.^[12] In December 1999, Pharmacia & Upjohn merged with the American biotechnology and medical company, Monsanto and renamed itself Pharmacia.^[13] The company retained Monsanto's pharmaceutical division - then known as Searle - and spun off the remaining interests as the "new Monsanto".^[14][15] The newly merged pharmaceutical entity changed its name to Pharmacia Corp.^[16]

In July 2002, Pharmacia Corp. and Pfizer announced an agreement that Pfizer would purchase Pharmacia; control of celecoxib was often mentioned as a key reason for Pfizer's acquisition of Pharmacia.^[17] The deal was finalized in April 2003.^[18]

• The remnant of the Stockholm-based part of Pharmacia was partly spun off to Biovitrum in 2001,^[19][20] which sold off its plasma products division to Octapharma in 2002.^[21]
• In 2004, the allergy-diagnostic division of Pharmacia was sold off as Pharmacia Diagnostics.^[22] Later in 2004, the Uppsala-based ophthalmology division was sold to Advanced Medical Optics.^[23]
• In April 2006, Pharmacia Diagnostics changed its name to Phadia, which ended the use of the Pharmacia trademark.^[24] In September, Phadia was acquired by PPM Capital.^[24] In April 2006, Indian company Kemwell acquired Pfizer's Uppsala manufacturing plant that used to be under Pharmacia.^[25] The company's facilities in Strängnäs Sweden are currently being expanded for the production of Genotropin, a growth hormone.^[26]

The following is an illustration of the company's mergers, acquisitions, spin-offs and historical predecessors: