The Union de pharmacologie scientifique appliquée (UPSA) is a French pharmaceutical group, independent from 1935 until acquisition by
Bristol Myers Squibb in 1994. The company is now owned by
Taisho Pharmaceutical.[1]
History
It was founded in
Agen in 1935 by Dr
Camille Bru. Following the founder's death in 1958 the group was run by his son Jean Bru until his own death 1989, and then by Jean Bru's widow Nicole Bru, née Magniez, from 1989 to 1994.[2] The
Fondation Bru administers the charitable and cultural interests of the family.
In December 2018, Bristol-Myers announced the sale of UPSA to the Japanese group Taisho Pharmaceutical for $1.6 billion.[3][4][5][6] Taisho is the largest OTC drug company in Japan and the eighth largest in the world.[7]
On July 1, 2019, the sale of UPSA to Taisho Pharmaceutical is finalized. However, UPSA retains its status as a company and its flagship brands remain manufactured in France on its site.[8]
^Fondation Bru - Nicole BruArchived September 6, 2013, at the
Wayback Machine "Au sein d’UPSA, le docteur Nicole Bru fait preuve de détermination et d’une véritable passion pour l’innovation. Sa brillante carrière la mène au poste de directeur de la Recherche, puis à la direction de l’entreprise, au côté du docteur Jean Bru qu’elle a épousé en 1980. Lorsque ce dernier disparaît brutalement en 1989, elle est directeur général des Affaires scientifiques et de la Stratégie. Elle décide alors de prendre la relève."