Corporate History
Founded in 1970 in New York as Barr Laboratories, Inc., the Company was
among the first generic pharmaceutical manufacturers in the U.S. In 1972,
the Company launched its first generic product and was one of the earliest
producers of generic antibiotics. However, the growth of the Company, and
the modern generic pharmaceutical industry, did not begin in earnest until
more than a decade later.
The milestone 1984 Drug Price Competition and Patent Restoration Act is acknowledged
as the start of the modern U.S. generic pharmaceutical industry. This law, more
commonly known as the Hatch-Waxman Act, paved the way for generic competition for
pharmaceutical products, creating the modern generic pharmaceutical industry.
Hatch-Waxman established the criteria that have become the foundation of generic
product approval.
Following the approval of Hatch-Waxman, Barr and other members of the generic
pharmaceutical industry grew rapidly in terms of product numbers and market share.
In the mid-1990s, Barr management refocused development, manufacturing and marketing
on distinctive products in five core therapeutic categories: female healthcare therapies,
cancer treatments, heart disease treatments, anti-infectives, and psychotherapeutics.
Today, the Company manufactures and markets both generic and proprietary pharmaceutical
products in these and other categories and is a leader in oral contraceptives in the U.S.
During the past decade, Barr has
expanded through internal development as well as strategic acquisitions of companies,
products and technologies. The largest of these acquisitions have been of Duramed in 2001
and PLIVA in 2006.
In 2001, Barr entered the proprietary products arena, establishing its Duramed subsidiary
as an innovator in women's healthcare products. Duramed has grown steadily to a $400+ million
annual business with more than 400 employees, 27 marketed products, aggressive corporate-development
activities, and over a dozen R&D projects in various stages of development.
In December 2003, the Company was reincorporated in Delaware as Barr Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
This action enabled it to take advantage of Delaware corporate law and create a corporate
structure more optimally aligned for future growth.
In 2006, Barr acquired PLIVA, d.d., expanding into a global organization. Established in 1921
and headquartered in Zagreb, Croatia, PLIVA is a leading Central and Eastern European (CEE)
pharmaceutical Company.
Today, Barr Pharmaceuticals operates through its principal subsidiaries: Barr Laboratories, Inc.,
Duramed Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and PLIVA d.d. and its subsidiaries. The Company markets more than
120 generic and 27 proprietary products in the United States and Canada, and more than 1,025 branded
generic products in other key international markets.
Product Guide 
