From R&D Group to Independent World Leader

The first steps towards the present Phadia AB were taken in the mid 1960's. Three scientists working at Uppsala University Hospital, Leif Wide, Rolf Axén and Jerker Porath, then presented their ideas to use Pharmacia's separation medium Sephadex as the solid phase in immunodiagnostic tests and proposed a collaboration with the company for the commercial development. Pharmacia's management decided to go for the project and established a special R&D group for diagnostics products.

At the same time an important medical discovery was made which would be of decisive importance to Phadia. In 1967 immunoglobulin E, or IgE, was discovered by two separate research teams, by Teruko and Kimishige Ishizaka in the US and by Gunnar Johansson and Hans Bennich at Uppsala University Hospital. Johansson and Bennich worked together with Wide to develop a method to measure the levels of the substance in blood samples. Eventually a clear connection was demonstrated between IgE antibodies and allergic symptoms. Johansson, Bennich and Wide then suggested that Pharmacia should use the findings to develop a commercial allergy test. This led to the ground-breaking product Phadebas RAST, which established the leading position that Phadia still maintains in the area of allergy testing.

During the past four decades also many other products and product areas have come and gone. There have also been a number of mergers and acquisitions, deals where Phadia has been actively involved as well as deals primarily affecting the parent company. The following is a short year-by-year summary of the long and sometimes troublesome road from a small R&D group within the pharma company Pharmacia to the independent Phadia AB of today, enjoying a world leading position in the diagnosis of allergy and autoimmunity diseases.

1967	The first scientists in Pharmacia's diagnostics group are hired and the operations start.

1970	The first product, Phadebas Amylase Test, a test for the determination of the enzyme amylase. For some years the amylase test was Pharmacia's biggest diagnostics product and it is actually still on the market after more than thirty years.

1971	Phadebas Insulin Test. This was the first product based on Leif Wide's ideas and one of the first commercial RIA tests in the world. Pharmacia acquires Allergon AB, located in Välinge in southern Sweden. Allergon will become a world leading producer of allergen source material, a cornerstone in Pharmacia Diagnostics' allergy tests.

1972	The first allergy test, Phadebas IgE Test, is introduced. This is a test for total IgE, enabling the measurement of the total amount of IgE in the blood.

1974	Phadebas RAST is launched. With RAST it for the first time becomes possible to measure IgE antibodies to specific allergy inducing substances and thus to determine not only that the patient is allergic, but also to what. RAST uses a small paper disc as solid phase and a radioactive marker. The product rapidly becomes a great success and it establishes Pharmacia Diagnostics' leading position in the area of allergy testing, a position which remains strong to this day. Initially the RAST panel includes just a handful of allergens, but it will eventually be enlarged to over 500.

1975	Pharmacia Diagnostics becomes a division company within the Pharmacia group. Further tests in other clinical areas are introduced, Phadebas ß2-micro Test and Phadebas TSH Test, among others.

1976	The construction of Pharmacia Diagnostics' plant in Fyrislund, Uppsala starts. Phadebas IgE PRIST is introduced, an improved total IgE test that will become a big seller for a number of years to come.

1978	Pharmacia's pharmaceutical division launches allergen extracts for immunotherapy, based on Allergon's high quality source material.

1980	Pharmacia Diagnostics takes over the responsibility for the extract business.

1981	Phadezym RAST (RAST with an enzymatic marker instead of a radioactive one) and Phadebas CEA PRIST (the first cancer test) are introduced.

1986	Phadiatop, a yes/no test for inhalation allergy, is launched. The Finnish company Wallac Oy is acquired. This is a step in Pharmacia's plans to create a large immunodiagnostic company, with a market leading position not only in allergy testing, but in immunodiagnostics in general. Wallac among other things has the DELFIA system, based on the non-radioactive TR-FIA technology. In the next five years Pharmacia Diagnostics will make great efforts to increase its clinical span with DELFIA as the technology platform.

1989	Acquisition of the American company Electro-Nucleonics Inc. (ENI). Pharmacia Diagnostics also strives to become a systems company, supplying not only reagents but also instruments and software. At this time the development of Pharmacia CAP System is in full swing, and ENI is believed to have key knowledge of automation. ENI also has competence and products in the area of blood virus testing (HIV and hepatitis), which is considered an important area for the future in view of the emerging AIDS epidemic. Pharmacia CAP System is launched. In this "second generation RAST" the old paper disc is replaced with a new solid phase, ImmunoCAP, which remains the heart of the technology today. The automatic processor designed by ENI fails to meet the requirements, however, and the new system must first be introduced in semi-automatic form.

1990	Procordia, owned by the Swedish government, acquires Pharmacia and merges the pharmaceutical operations with its own pharma company Kabi. The new company is called Kabi Pharmacia. Pharmacia Diagnostics is grouped together with Pharmacia Biotech and Pharmacia Biosensor to form a sister company, Pharmacia Biosystems. The new management initiates a rationalization program to improve profitability. This means a renewed focus on allergy diagnostics and all operations in Wallac and ENI are divested or closed down.

1991	A new automatic processor for Pharmacia CAP System, AutoCAP, developed in Sweden is introduced.

1992	Pharmacia Biosystems is dissolved and the diagnostics operations become part of Kabi Pharmacia, with the new name Kabi Pharmacia Diagnostics. MaxiCAP, a version of Pharmacia CAP system specially tailored to the needs of the large Japanese laboratories, is introduced. CDTect, a test to demonstrate long-term alcohol consumption, is launched. Alcohol related diseases becomes a new area of operations.

1993	Procordia buys the Italian pharmaceutical company Farmitalia Carlo Erba and the corporate group is restructured. Pharmacia once again becomes the name of the pharma, diagnostics and biotech operations. The name Pharmacia Diagnostics is reintroduced.

1995	Pharmacia merges with the American company Upjohn. This results in yet another name change, this time to Pharmacia & Upjohn Diagnostics. ImmunoCAP 100 is launched as the first instrument in a new system generation. ImmunoCAP 100 for the first time integrates automatic sample handling, a processor, measuring equipment and data evaluation in one and the same instrument. At the same time the ImmunoCAP chemistry is further improved.

1996	The last batches of the classic Phadebas and Phadezym RAST tests are manufactured.

1997	CDTect is divested and the efforts in the area of alcohol related diseases is discontinued. The German company Elias is acquired. Based in Freiburg, Elias has a strong position in the testing of autoimmune diseases, an area considered to have great future potential. Work is started to develop autoimmunity tests for UniCAP as a complement to Elias' Varelisa tests.

2000	Pharmacia & Upjohn acquires Monsanto and the new corporate group is called Pharmacia Corporation. The name Pharmacia Diagnostics is reintroduced yet again. ImmunoCAP 100E is introduced. This instrument can be used also for autoimmunity tests.

2001	ImmunoCAP 1000 JP, a system specially designed for the large commercial laboratories in Japan, is introduced. EliA, a new technology enabling automated handling of autoimmunity tests with ImmunoCAP 100E, is introduced. Phadiatop Infant, a yes/no atopy test specially designed for children, is launched.

2002	ImmunoCAP 1000 is launched in the rest of the world. The concept of interpreting quantitative specific IgE antibody results in relation to the probability for allergic symptoms is presented.

2003	Pfizer acquires Pharmacia. The new parent company wishes to focus on its core pharma business and therefore wants to divest Pharmacia Diagnostics.

2004	Pharmacia Diagnostics AB is established as a new, independent company headquartered in Uppsala. The British finance companies PPM Venture and Triton are the new main owners. ImmunoCAP 250 is introduced, making the ImmunoCAP instrument family complete, with systems suited for laboratories of all sizes.

2005	ImmunoCAP Rapid. The first allergy point of care test for primary care. Launch of EliA on ImmunoCAP 250. High capacity and automation for medium to large laboratories - ideal for labs performing 80 to 400 autoimmune tests per day.

2006	The new company name Phadia is introduced.

2007	The British finance company Cinven is the new main owner. Minority owner of Aerocrine, 5%. Acquisition of VBC Genomics.