1896 | Foundation of F. Hoffmann-La Roche & Co in Basel, Switzerland | On October 1, 1896, Fritz Hoffmann-La Roche founds F. Hoffmann-La Roche & Co as the successor company to Hoffmann, Traub & Co. The business premises are located in Basel, Switzerland, at the upper end of the Grenzacherstrasse, on a piece of land overlooking the Rhine. |
1896 | Product introduction: Aiodin, thyroid preparation | Aiodin is the earliest in a series of thyroid preparations which uses the presence of iodine in thyroid extracts. |
1896 | Product introduction: Airol, wound antiseptic | The wound antiseptic Airol, originally developed in the laboratories of Hoffmann, Traub & Co, is launched. The young company has high hopes for this product on the German market. |
1897 | Subsidiaries in Grenzach (Germany) and Milan (Italy) | The company buys land in the nearby German farming community of Grenzach where Airol, an antiseptic wound-healing powder, and Sirolin, a cough syrup, are going to be produced. |
1898 | Product introduction: Sirolin, non-prescription cough syrup | A non-prescription cough syrup, Sirolin contains Roche's own Thiocol as its active ingredient. The syrup's orange flavour makes it an almost immediate success. Under the tradename Sirolin, the syrup is marketed for over 60 years. |
1903 | Subsidiary in Paris (France) | |
1904 | Product introduction: Digalen, purified digitalis preparation | As a pure, standardised digitalis preparation containing all the cardiac glycosides of the purple fox-glove leaf, Digalen proves to meet high medical demand. Digalen remains on the market until 1964. |
1905 | First subsidiary in New York City | Hoffmann-La Roche Chemical Works Inc. are established in New York City as Roche's first offices in the US. |
1908 | Subsidiary in London | |
1909 | Product introduction: Pantopon, remedy for pain, colic, spasms, cough, anxiety and excitation states | Pantopon is a remedy for pain, colic, spasms, cough and anxiety and excitation states. It contains all the opium alkaloids in a standardised form free of inert material. Pantopon is still sold in a few countries, making it Roche's longest-selling product. |
1910 | First subsidiary in Russia (St. Petersburg, until 1919) | The agency in St. Petersburg becomes a subsidiary. During the pre-war years tsarist Russia, where Roche also has agents in Moscow, Odessa, Rostov and Kazan, will grow into the company's most important market. |
1919 | Transformation of Roche into a limited company | The German boycott of Roche products, Basel's isolation from its Grenzach plant, the loss of company's Russian market and assets in the Revolution of 1917 and sizeable foreign exchange losses have created a financial crisis. Based on this, Roche is transformed into a limited company. |
1920 | Death of Fritz Hoffmann | Fritz Hoffmann dies on April 18, 1920. Roche loses a dynamic entrepreneur and a striking individual. |
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