Our History

1927	In Milan Elio Bracco founds the Italian manufacturing company E. Merck.
1930	The company becomes Italmerck S.p.A.
1931	Creation of a factory in via Renato Fucini (Milano)
1934	Cebion is put on the market.
1935	The number of employees rises from 17 to 82: 41 factory workers (30 of whom women) 26 office staff 12 chemists, technicians and doctors 3 managers
1936	The company Anonima Bracco, formerly Italmerck, is founded.
1940	War breaks out: the company commits itself to hold the jobs for its employees fighting the war and to pass on the salaries to their families.
1946	Bracco introduces a series of contrast agents on the market.
1949	The annual meeting approves plan to build a new factory in Lambrate, to be completed in 1953. The company name is changed to Bracco Industria Chimica. Bracco and Cilag AG of Schaffausen form Cilag Italiana, in order to guarantee the supply of raw materials for production, since supplies from Merck Germania prove difficult.
1963	The Lambrate plant occupies a surface area of 50.000 sqm, 30.000 of which are indoors. The 1970s Italian pharmaceutical firms are in crisis because of the strong competition from the U.S., Germany and Japan, where 10% of revenue is invested in research (the cost of patenting a new pharmaceutical product is $100 million).
	Bracco intensifies research and development in imaging diagnostics.

	THE INTERNATIONALIZATION PROCESS
1987	The Swiss company Sintetica SA of Mendrisio, now Bracco Suisse, is purchased, the Swiss branch of the Group.
1989	Increase in research activities through the setting up in Geneva of Bracco Research SA: the second R&D Bracco unit, which specializes in contrast agents for ultrasound and in systems for the controlled release of active agents.
1990	Creation of the Bracco Eisai joint-venture (51% Bracco - 49% Eisai) with Eisai of Tokyo, aimed at the production and sale in Japan of several Bracco contrast agents.
1991	Creation of Bracco Holding and Bracco International BV to support the international activities of promotion, training and marketing.
1993	Creation of Bracco-Byk Gulden, today Bracco-Altana Pharma a joint-venture with Byk Gulden of Costanza (51% Bracco - 49% Byk Gulden), in order to cover central European markets.
1994	Purchase of Squibb Diagnostics (Princeton, NJ, USA) and creation of Bracco Diagnostics Inc. and Bracco Research USA: third R&D Bracco unit, which specializes in magnetic resonance and molecular medicine.
1995	Bracco becomes a shareholder in Esaote, the leading company in the biomedical field; today Bracco is the majority shareholder of the company.
1996	Creation of Bracco Diagnostics Inc. Canada, a branch of Bracco Diagnostics Inc. USA.
1997	Creation of Bracco Imaging BV, with headquarters in Plan-les-Ouates (Geneva), a leading company in the field of contrast agents for ecographies.
1999	Bracco and Esaote form Ebit AET, which supplies integrated solutions for communications and Information Technology in the health sector.

2000	Creation of Bracco SA, today Bracco Suisse SA, with headquarters in Manno (Lugano), which engages in commercial activities taken over from Sintetica SA. Bracco undertakes a strategic alliance with Dyax, an American biopharmaceutical company. Bracco acquires Resolution Pharmaceuticals, a Canadian biotechnology company specializing in the production of radio-pharmaceutical products.
2001	Creation of Bracco Far East Ltd, with headquarters in Hong Kong, for the sale of Bracco products in Hong Kong and Macao. Creation of Bracco UK Limited to carry out imaging activities in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Acquisition of Acist Medical Systems, a leading American company in advanced systems for the management and administration of contrast agents.
2002	Bracco acquires Volume Interactions (high-tech diagnostic and surgical systems). Volume Interaction is a Singaporan company that specializes in the development of advanced applied medical software. In April of 2002 SPIN, the second largest plant in terms of capacity after the one in Ceriano Laghetto (Milan), was inaugurated at Torviscosa (Udine). The new site produces X-ray contrast media.
2003	Bracco establishes Bracco Oesterreich GmbH for sales and marketing activities of imaging products in Austria.
2004	Official opening of the Shanghai Bracco Sine production plant.
2006	Bracco sells its shereholding Esaote to focus on the development of new poprietary solutions with a cutting-edge innovation content in the sector of diagnostic and targeted therapy and to further increase its competitive capacities on the global international market in which the Group competes.
2007	Bracco Imaging opens new laboratories and a pilot plant within the Bioindustry Park Canavese near Ivrea (northwestern Italy). Bracco takes direct present in Germany, France, Belgium, Luxemburg, and the Netherlands forterly managed by the Bracco Altana pharma joint-venture.
2008	Acquisition of E-Z-EM a major manufacturer of contrast agents and medical devices for gastrointestinal radiology.