罗素·优克福公司

It was the second largest French pharmaceutical company[6] before it was acquired by 霍伊斯特公司 of 美因河畔法兰克福, 德国 in 1997, with pharmaceutical operations combined into the Hoechst Marion Roussel (HMR) division in the United States. Roussel Uclaf's agrochemical operations had been transferred to Hoechst Schering AgrEvo GmbH in 1994.

HMR subsequently merged in 1999 with Rhône-Poulenc to form Aventis, which then merged in 2004 with Sanofi-Synthélabo to form 赛诺菲, which was since renamed Sanofi. Hoechst Schering AgrEvo merged in 1999 with Rhône-Poulenc's agrochemical division to form Aventis CropScience, which was acquired by 拜耳 in 2002 and combined with Bayer's agrochemical division to form Bayer CropScience.

In April 1980, as part of a formal research project at Roussel-Uclaf for the development of 糖皮质激素受体 受体拮抗剂s, chemist Georges Teutsch synthesized 美服培酮 (RU-38486, the 38,486th compound synthesized by Roussel-Uclaf from 1949 to 1980; shortened to RU-486); which was discovered to also be a 孕酮受体 antagonist.[7][8] In October 1981, endocrinologist Étienne-Émile Baulieu, a consultant to Roussel-Uclaf, arranged tests of its use for medical abortion in eleven women in 瑞士 by gynecologist Walter Herrmann at the 日内瓦大学's Cantonal Hospital, with successful results announced on April 19, 1982.[7][9] On October 9, 1987, following worldwide clinical trials in 20,000 women of mifepristone with a 前列腺素 analogue (initially 硫前列酮 or 吉美前列素, later 米索前列醇) for medical abortion, Roussel-Uclaf sought approval in France for their use for medical abortion, with approval announced on September 23, 1988.[7][10]

Roussel-Uclaf began selling Mifegyne (mifepristone) to hospitals in France in February 1990 at a price (negotiated with the French government) of $48 per 600 mg dose.[7]

Mifegyne was subsequently approved in 大不列顛島 on July 1, 1991,[13] and in 瑞典 in September 1992,[14] but until his retirement in late April 1994, Hoechst AG chairman Wolfgang Hilger, a devout 天主教會, blocked any further expansion in availability.[7][15] On May 16, 1994, Roussel-Uclaf announced that it was donating without remuneration all rights for medical uses of mifepristone in the U.S. to the Population Council,[16] which subsequently licensed mifepristone to Danco Laboratories, a new single-product company immune to antiabortion boycotts, which won 美国食品药品监督管理局 approval as Mifeprex on September 28, 2000.[17]

On April 8, 1997, after buying the remaining 43.5% of Roussel-Uclaf stock in early 1997,[18] Hoechst AG ($30 billion annual revenue) announced the end of its manufacture and sale of Mifegyne ($3.44 million annual revenue) and the transfer of all rights for medical uses of mifepristone outside of the U.S. to Exelgyn S.A., a new single-product company immune to antiabortion boycotts, whose CEO was former Roussel-Uclaf CEO Édouard Sakiz.[19] In 1999, Exelgyn won approval of Mifegyne in 11 additional countries, and in 28 more countries over the following decade.[20]