Hikma was founded in 1978 in Amman, Jordan by Samih Darwazah, our current Chairman and CEO. In the early years, the Company’s primary focus was on developing a branded pharmaceuticals business across the MENA Region. Then in the early 1990’s, Hikma expanded outside the MENA Region by acquiring a generic pharmaceuticals business in the United States and by establishing injectable pharmaceutical operations in Portugal. Since then, the company has expanded significantly, both organically and through acquisition.
Key events in Hikma’s history include:
- 1978: Established in Amman, Jordan
- 1980: Began manufacturing patented pharmaceutical products under license
- 1991: Entered the US market with the acquisition of West-ward, headquartered in Eatontown, New Jersey
- 1992: Began exporting branded pharmaceutical products to Eastern Europe
- 1994: West-ward became fully FDA compliant
- 1996: Became first Arab company to receive FDA approval
- 1997: Began manufacturing injectable pharmaceutical products in Portugal
- 2001: Manufacturing facilities in Portugal receive FDA approval
- 2001: Began manufacturing injectable powdered cephalosporin for the MENA Region and Portugal
- 2001: Jordanian facility gained MHRA approval to sell some products in the UK
- 2003: Began commercial scale production of liquid injectables
- 2005: Expanded into the lyophilized segment of the injectables market through the acquisition of specialised plant in Italy
- 2005: Listed on the London Stock Exchange
- 2006: Received US FDA approval for the manufacturing facilities of Jezeera Pharmaceutical Industries (JPI), then our associate business in Saudi Arabia
- 2006: JPI becomes a wholly-owned subsidiary following acquisition of the 52.5% share in JPI that Hikma did not already own
- 2007: Expanded into the German generic injectable oncology market through the acquisition of Ribosepharm GmbH
- 2007: Acquired Thymoorgan, a German contract manufacturer of injectable oncology products, thereby building an integrated oncology platform
