Ferring celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2010. This has given us the opportunity to recognise the enormous progress the company has made since Dr Frederik Paulsen senior started our company in two rented rooms in Malmö, Sweden, in 1950.
Synthetic peptide hormones on an industrial scale
Dr Paulsen was convinced that peptide hormones produced by the pituitary gland had the potential to play a major role in treating a range of health conditions. He chose to focus on, as he called them, the "completely disregarded peptide hormones," rather than the steroid hormones that other companies were working on at the time.
His exciting idea of 'medicine on the body's own terms' proved to be a good one. Sixty years on, the company is now a world leader in peptide hormones, with more than 3,900 employees.
The fledgling company constructed its own R&D and production facilities, also in Malmö, in 1956. Five years later, the pioneering team achieved a major scientific breakthrough by producing synthetic peptide hormones – vasopressin and oxytocin – on an industrial scale. This development established Ferring as one of the first companies in this field.
Ferring expands outside Scandinavia
In 1961, the company expanded as the only producer in the world of synthetic vasopressin, a hormone whose structure was modified to form the basis of MINIRIN® (desmopressin), which went on to become the flagship product of the Ferring Group. Ferring established its first production site outside Scandinavia in 1973, with a new centre in Kiel, Germany. This unit was responsible for the introduction of LUTRELEF® and ZYKLOMAT® for the treatment of infertility.
Ferring launched MINIRIN in 1972. An antidiuretic hormone, the drug was used initially to treat diabetes insipidus and later primary nocturnal enuresis, or bedwetting, and nocturia. 1980 saw the launch of another analogue of vasopressin, GLYPRESSIN®, for the treatment of bleeding oesophageal varices. The success of these therapies supported Ferring's continuous expansion during the 1980s, with global subsidiaries being established in Europe, North America and Southeast Asia.
First oral peptide-based pharmaceutical
There was another first for Ferring in 1984, with the launch of the MINIRIN tablet as the first peptide-based pharmaceutical to be successfully formulated for oral administration. This major breakthrough was surpassed in 2005 with the launch of the MINIRIN Melt tablet which can be absorbed easily without the need for water.
In 1986, the company launched PENTASA® for the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases. This enabled the company to further strengthen its position in gastroenterology and many new forms of PENTASA have been introduced over the years – from enemas and suppositories to tablets and sachets.
Going global
The founder's son, Frederik Paulsen, became Chairman of the Ferring Group in 1988, spearheading further international developments. Throughout the 1990s, Ferring accelerated the opening of new subsidiaries in Eastern and Western Europe, South America, Australasia, South Africa and the Middle East. The expansion paid off, with revenues growing annually by double digits, enabling the exploration of new directions for research.
Ferring launched its first product in infertility – MENOGON® – in 1993, providing a new treatment option for infertile couples. The follow-up compound, MENOPUR®, was introduced in 2002. Two years earlier the company had introduced a completely new chemical entity – an oxytocin antagonist, TRACTOCILE®, for the treatment of pre-term (premature) labour.
ZOMACTON® was launched for the treatment of children with growth hormone deficiency and for girls with Turner's syndrome in 1996. And the launch in 2009 of FIRMAGON®, a GnRH blocker for advanced hormone-dependent prostate cancer, confirmed the ongoing value of Ferring's focus on peptide hormones.
A strong international presence today
The company's international presence has been consolidated over the last few years, with the opening of the Ferring International Center, now called International PharmaScience Center, in Copenhagen, Denmark, at the start of 2002. Then in 2006 Ferring's current global headquarters and production facility opened in Saint-Prex, Switzerland.
Reflecting on where Ferring is now, Frederik Paulsen, the chairman, said: "Ferring is in a strong position today, a position we have been working hard to build up over the years. As an international entity, Ferring has come of age."